Favourite

My youngest is doing a school project and has to write about my childhood!!!
All was well till she asked me what was my favourite childhood TV show..

The year was 1983. I was in 8th standard and Appa was home for holidays. Beginning 1981, there were regular articles in Malayala manorma about those who bought TV !! Including an article about a chayakkada karan who had many fold increase in patronage because of he was smart enough to buy a TV and install a few meters long antenna!
Mrs. KM Mathew’s outreach center ( something similar to that, can’t remember the name right now) even had a free Video night, where they screened the movie Disco dancer. ( Ps, Mithun Chakraborty, you were the best!!)

But we had no TV.
According to the person who studied child psychology ( my mother) and all her learned esteemed friends have suggested that TV was bad for children and therefore we were not going to get one.
But, there was one small problem.
I was then as I am now crazy for Car races. It was the time for Himalayan Car rally and appachan next door and I were a team who decided there is no way we were going to miss watching the races. Appachan bought the TV and much to my father’s chagrin, I was least bit embarrassed to go to my neighbour’s house and watch TV.
Appa finally felt it was much better to buy our own a TV and without consulting Amma, he went and bought a BPL tv. ( which my mother sold for the same price Appa bought it 20 years later)
That evening, my parents had a fight because Amma wanted her radio installed next to TV because she was not going to miss her regular kandathum kettathum and Appa insisted that with the arrival of TV, the radio will not be used again. I do have to agree that my father was right and the radio was never used after we got the TV.)
But as such what was my favourite childhood TV shows?
Every Thursday evening there was Chitrahar.
Then there was some kids program in English on Sunday morning. ( all I remember is that there was a dolphin!! Obviously my English language proficiency was not that good then). Laurel and hardy. Charlie Chaplin shows.
Was there any programs that I have forgotten about that would be classified as tv shows in late 80’s??

8 thoughts on “Favourite

  1. Hi Sarah

    Other than Chitrahar,I remember yeh jo hai zindagi,the 9 pm serials- esp one which Sharukh Khan ( the one with army story)-just can't remember the name.Also Wonder years -may be they showed it in the 90's.
    Reena

  2. Reena: Fouzi..Sharukh khan..it was in the 90's..( I remember coming home from medical college to watch it)Wonder years, bold and the beautiful all came in the 90's ( with the cable tv)

    Tinkerbells: Can't remember any of those programs..Did they show them on doordarshan??
    There used to be a Japanese story ( an elderly lady remembering her childhood) that I used to watch once in a while in the 90's..( most likely on cable)

  3. sarah chechi…i think i am gtting confused abt timelines …the japanese story is oshin…and all of them came in DD…i never had cable at home 🙂 udaan was abt this girl from rural north india who goes on to become a great police officer…yet another show was knight rider where there was a super bike or car (can't remember)..

  4. Don't tell me they screened 'Disco Dancer' at Kasturba Social Welfare centre! About shows in the 80s, I don't really remember what my kids watched. But I do remember the one good show I watched occasionally–Nukkad. I think Spiderman cartoons were there too.

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