Screen time in the ’80s

Television made its grand entry in Mysuru way back in the 1980s. Though colour television sets were available in big cities, they had not reached our picturesque town. My mother’s maternal aunt, also our neighbour, quickly purchased a black-and-white TV set, while my father was firm in his decision about buying only a colour one. Once the TV set was installed by the technician with the antenna on the roof, the excitement in the air was palpable. We pleaded with the technician to switch on the TV at once. “What is the use of switching on the TV now? It’s only 4 pm,” the technician said. The programme transmission time was fixed between 5.30 pm and 11 pm. We waited with bated breath for the clock to strike the hour.

In the absence of a remote, one had to walk up to the TV set to turn on the knob. There were two more knobs to adjust brightness and volume. Mind you, there was no option to change channels, as we had only one channel back then, which was the government-owned Doordarshan. Whoever sat closest to the TV set invariably became the ‘remote.’ He or she had to crawl up to the TV to increase the sound or reduce the brightness as needed. The signature music of Doordarshan greeted us at 5 pm. Samachar, followed by Krishi Darshan and Chitrahaar, kept us entertained for nearly two hours. Though the ‘entertainment’ value in news and Krishi Darshan (a programme meant for farmers) was nonexistent, we watched it intently akin to a thriller Web series.

Soon, a colour TV set arrived at my house, and the collective happiness of my family members knew no bounds. When the epic serial Ramayana started, the streets in Mysore and probably across India wore a deserted look. Such was the captivating power of some of the programmes back then. However, our patience levels would be put to the test at times. The TV screen would suddenly turn blank, or vertical lines would start dancing on the screen, much to our irritation. How did we restore transmission? One may wonder. We had devised our own desi trick. One of the family members would climb onto the rooftop, where the TV antenna was located. In my house, my father would take on this role. He would turn the antenna in every possible direction until transmission was restored. Such uncanny tricks would work wonders, though, as children, we did not bother to understand the scientific aspect behind them. 

As the years rolled by, TV, once a bulky contraption, became slimmer while the channels on it multiplied by the dozen, turning most of us into couch potatoes! Today, OTT has made its presence felt. What is in store for us next? Like they say, only time can tell!