As I was writing to Nakul about mailing, I suddenly remembered Amul Surabhi.
Every sunday 9pm Doordarshan National used to telecast this programme which was a potpourri of National Geographic Channel, Animal Plannet, Discovery Travel and Living and Doordarshan Bharti all rolled into a thoroughly enjoyable half-hour refresher course on the hidden (and known) aspects and facets of India and the world.
One day they were travelling to unknown jungles and islands and the other day they would be sitting in a crowded dhaba on the road from Delhi to Jaipur! The window to the world was never so multi-hued and never so simply presented. Who can forget Siddharth Kak and Renuka Shahane and the very Indian sets they would be sitting on!
Well this isn't why I remembered Surabhi suddenly! Last 10 minutes of the show was the quiz time and let me say, the prizes were really worth dieing for!! Fully paid trips to tourist destinations around the country with stay in luxurious hotels (I think these were in all the five weekly prizes) apart from gift hampers from tourism departments and related PSUs.
So every sunday we watched Surabhi and tried to send the answers on a postcard. Later when Surabhi started getting more than 5 lakh postcards per week almost routinely, Government introduced 'Competition Postcards' worth Rs. 6! Most of the times our replies (addressed postcards with answers written) were eventually swept away because they were not posted on time!
Today in the age of Instant Gratification, you have SMS to send in your answers, and coincidentally most of the services charge the same Rs 6 every SMS !!
The postcard just got faster!
Thursday, May 18, 2006
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3 comments:
nice post abhishek .. good analogy
I remember 'Discovery of India' as well. And my father made me watch that program actually solely for its academic nature.
Roshan Seth who looked exactly like Pandit Nehru bemused me no ends! I wondered how come Nehru has become alive again!!!
On a lighter note, tune of its title song was used by Radio Mirchi in Delhi for one of their promos!
Postcard n letters are really all time fav of mine...if they reach on time :)
I used to write letters to my friend wen we dont hv net connection or i shuld say dont knw wht is internet??
i used to wirte letter which is comparable to short stories :) n then wait for her reply n sumtimes used to ask her on phne(wen its 2 late) whether she has recieved my letter or nt....tht was gr8
waitin 4 a letter more than anything else...nw waitin 4 mails :).....technology changes n so medium of communications
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