I remember the first running commentary I heard of India – West Indies Test series in 1966. Those days it was not just a novelty, but pure magic to be able to follow live, an event taking place thousands of miles away. But these commentaries, then, were reserved mainly for sports events. Today every event or even a non-event is telecast live with tadka or embellishments.
Anyone who is a regular spectator of football, tennis or cricket matches would vouch that watching an event live is so different from watching it on TV. What is a cricket match without the crowd hollering for ‘fours’ and ‘sixes’ in unison or what is a tennis match that doesn’t give you a neck pain following the ball from side to side. There is something very unreal in lying on a couch with a packet of chips watching the players sweat it out.
I remember the high altitude posts like Siachin where satellite TV had just made its appearance. MTV Grind used to be a popular show among soldiers and officers alike. What can be more unreal than men clad in layers and layers of warm clothing gawking at the almost naked men and women basking in the sun. These soldiers would not have seen any female form clothed or otherwise and exposed parts of their own bodies for months.
Cartoon : Courtesy: https://twitter.com/hashtag/StraightLines?src=hash
Murali, Delhi saw rush at all banks and later at ATMs but today things have changed. Very less crowd. It surly has caused inconvenience to public but I feel something of this nature was required. At least people are interacting and its interesting to listen to the public opinion.
I took a DTC bus and heard the commoners giving out their opinions and then discussions on related issues. Wether Black money has come out or not at least people have got new topic to have discussions.