Ah...for some mindless entertainment

A long time ago, I had decided that when I was all big and grown up, I would never tell my kids, “When I was your age…” But can’t help it, so here goes…Ages ago, when I was a kid in school, the TV was a place for mindless entertainment. Different matter that entertainment those days meant only Krishi Darshan at 7.30, the weekly dose of Hindi film music a.k.a. Chitrahaar and the feature film on Sunday evening. The only time I would squirm was when we had to watch the UGC educational programmes, where gray suited Professors would intone about molecules cavorting with others of their kind and its inevitable consequences. All that I remember about those programmes are grays, grays and yet more grays.

The other day, tired after a day at school (beats me why University is also called school!) I plonked down with my kids in front of the TV for some good ol’ mindless entertainment. It seemed mindless enough--some spunky looking creatures helping their friends make valentines-- till matters turned rather serious when the creatures went on to figure out that it’s better for each one to do what he/she is best at…drawing, cutting, pasting etc. After this lesson in division of labour, the famous mouse and his friends were to entertain us…finally, for some truly mindless fun! Then to my shock, that once-upon-a-time-simply- hilarious mouse and his friends marched upto a smart tune and started teaching us the alphabets! I didn’t know whether to laugh or to cry. All that I remember of the mouse, his uncle and his ducky friends were hours spent laughing over their antics. To see them mouth alphabets and math tables was indeed a rude surprise!

I had barely recovered from all this education when along marched a certain Captain who told kids what to eat! He kind of looked like a very bright and cheery Superhero, definitely a far cry from the gray suited Professors of UGC days. Flexing his bulging muscles, he authoritatively prodded into kids that baked potatoes are certainly a better choice than French fries. Of course, my spouse marvels at all this educational stuff, masquerading as ‘cartoons’ and innocuously injecting some sense into the kids.

But for me, frantically searching for something to calm my over stimulated gray matter this was certainly not mindless entertainment. I ran to my room and searched out a good ol’ Tom and Jerry DVD. Apparently, the dear ol’ cat and the mouse have been berated lately for all their violence, but for my post-University and post kids-channel frazzled nerves the simple story of a cat chasing a mouse was indeed very calming and soothing.

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