Life without television: a trial run

"Nick will go off the air for 30 minutes to encourage kids to get out and play"
- report in today's HT Cafe

Wonderful but meaningless marketing gesture. Unless ALL kids' channels go off the air on the same day and same time. And even then - what is a single day?

Of course, you will say it's the parents' responsibility to regulate their kids' TV viewing. Yeah right. Try it! It's like playing chor-police and the truth is you can't blame kids for watching too much TV. What are we adults doing?

I know that I have certainly been watching way too much in recent months. I generally channel surf, rarely watching a full program - so I kid myself ki nahin dekhti hoon. It's like saying I don't eat large meals only a lot of snacks. It still adds up. And it's a LOT of junk.

At the beginning of this month I took a tough decision: "This month, NO television!" We simply did not renew the Tata Sky connection. They called to check why. Bas yun hi, hum TV nahin dekhna chahte... Thank you very much!

So what do we do? Well board games like Monopoly and Connect Four have been brought out of the closet. I read more and sleep earlier (and better). I listen to Radio City 91.1 between 9-11 pm every night (it's on right now). They play really cool songs from the '70s and '80s - the kind I grew up listening to (amazing stuff!).

I'm not AGAINST TV or anything - in fact I actually have the best of both worlds. My parents live one floor below so jab marzi ho one can go down and watch. But doing so is a conscious act, not a mindless one.

The month has come to an end and I'm not sure what's next.

All I know is that when there is really important 'breaking news' someone breaks it to you... But TV ke bina there is so much peace in the house!

'Bombay Lawyers': avoidable!

Caught an episode of Bombay Lawyers, NDTV's recent foray into fiction programming. The idea is great and so is the choice of subject. NDTV and 'legal drama' is plausible.

Unfortunately the show is really, really bad. All the actors, barring Mita Vashisht are unknowns. Which is okay except they just can't bloody act. That's probably why the camera keeps a safe distance from their chehras. Imagine a drama in long-shots!

There's plenty of great American shows in this genre. Starting from the one and only L.A. Law to Picket Fences and Ally McBeal. More recently we've had Boston Legal. A variation on the law firm angle is Law and Order: Special Victims Unit which starts from the criminal investigation and ends in the courtroom.

The trick is to create unique and memorable characters who people care about, and weave in unique and interesting cases. Bombay Lawyers lacks both.

Imagine a case where a husband and wife are 'colluding' to get a quick divorce. The judge smells a rat and asks the lawyer to investigate. Turns out the husband is dying and would rather leave behind a woman who is a divorcee. "Kyunki hamare samaaj mein widhwa hona aaj bhi ek kalank hai."

Uh huh.

In an era of 'breaking news'... spicily packaged facts are more interesting than badly acted fiction!

TV: on the charas trail

Television is often faulted for being superficial and in-the-moment. But that may be changing.

A CNN-IBN 'Special Investigation' I happened to see last night is one great example of how television can tell you a story like no other medium. Iram Mirza followed the 'charas trail' in Himachal Pradesh. Or hash/ ganja/ marijuana/cannabis - whatever you prefer to call it.

Posing as an Australian tourist, she takes a trip into the Parvati valley, where over 3000 acres of land is under 'cultivation'. Where hundreds of locals sit all day rolling charas in a Rs 600 crore trade controlled by Israeli and Italian mafia.

A decent quality hidden camera captured a lot of interesting insights into the trade. I guess I found it all the more intriguing because I've been fascinated by this whole Israelis-in-India phenomenon for a while.

After sealing a deal to buy 40 kgs of charas for Rs 18 lakhs - and capturing it all on tape - Iram and team scooted off. Apparently pictures of her were then circulated around the valley to warn everyone about the 'journalist on the prowl'.

It will be some time before anyone 'Indian looking' is admitted into these psudo-spiritual drug communes. Which is probably just as well - for both the hippie crowd and the locals. Because as long as 'they' keep to themselves - as in Goa, where they populate distant beaches - the police and local officials will accept bribes and turn a blind eye to the activity.

Besides, both Himachal and Goa need these tourists.

In any case, cannabis is not cocaine - there are different points of view on its usage. While most countries still classify it as a drug, it's legal in Amsterdam. Which is where much of the stuff is headed.

Given that a gram of charas which costs Rs 25 to produce in Himachal sells for Rs 3000 in Holland, nothing is likely to change. A couple of fields will be burnt to show 'some action' has been taken while the acres and acres continue to flourish in the distant, upper reaches.

Still, it was a a fascinating peek into a hidden world. And I now know India is famous not just for its Darjeeling tea and basmati rice, but 'Malana cream'...

Here's looking to more stories - from all news channels - which go beyond the moment. Resources are hardly a problem for most of these publicly listed companies. It's about giving enough time - and a mandate - to your reporters.