Commercial break, I remember was not despised so much in those
early days of Indian TV. Advertisers then were few and far in-between and the
scheduled commercials brought in welcome break for the viewers to run out and
complete some chores. This used to mimic the intervals we experienced while watching
a movie in the theatre. However, what irritated the viewers were the
unscheduled breaks the results of technical glitches. The most hated screen
shot of the television that I can still vividly remember is “rukawat ke liye
khed hai” or its English translation, “sorry for the interruption”.
When I walked into the TV room of our hostel during college
days, I discovered another facet of life with realization that people could
actually cheer a commercial in the TV. Some of the ads were always welcome and Cadbury
perks by Priety was one such good example which the boarders were ready to
embrace kabhi bhi aur kahin bhi. Chitrahaar was immensely popular then and the
lyril soap advertisement surpassed it in popularity and not surprisingly some
students even contemplated request Doordarshan to play the advertisement
after each song.
Things have changed since then and excessive
commercialization has taken over the media with advertisement taking precedence
over the program they sponsor. The most effective way of tease a viewer is to
deny them when they want it the most and our TV bosses has mastered this art.
This philosophy could be seen in action during the cricket matches with
commercials kicking in every time something exciting happens in field.
The companies appear to have made it their mission to make
us learn their ads by heart. I wish one of these days they take it on
themselves to make our kids learn some of their school lessons.
Imagine in place of commercials, multiplication tables keeps
repeating for umpteen numbers of times with a small logo of the sponsoring
company in a corner. In no time the entire nation will learn their tables by
heart. Alternatively they could start repeating some formulas from physics or
organic chemistry test books in-between a Salman khan thriller. At the end of
the movie students across the country will master classroom chemistry alongside
the on-screen chemistry of the artists.
What a noble cause that would serve!
