Monday, November 27, 2006

What the Hell??

Crime shows, by their very nature, aren't meant for peace-loving guys like me. Watching stuff about how people snuffed lives or fleeced their kin makes me see the world in a bad light. It just makes me lose faith in humanity. And yet, I managed to watch some of these shows on tele a few nights ago.

What made me do that, you ask? Well, late nights on Indian Television can get quite boring.Most channels either telecast repeats of their prime time shows or else, play advertising capsules where blondes entice you to buy stuff that claims to make you taller, fitter and stronger in a matter of hours! That leaves couch potatoes like me with few options. Also, these crime shows(the ones on Hindi News Channels) have developed quite a formidable reputation for providing wholesome entertainment.So there I was, checking out the crime shows on Aaj Tak, Zee and Star News, simultaneously one night.

The one on Aaj Tak did not hold my interest for long.It was just as I had expected a crime show to be-BORING!
Star's 'Sansani' definitely provided more entertainment value. It's trump card(definitely!) was it's pony tailed, vociferous host, who looked more like a former goon himself. When he says, "Andhere ke sannate ko cheertee hui sansani.", in his deep, baritone voice, you just can't help grinning. Surely, crime show entertainment can't get more ridiculous than this, I thought!

Naah! I was wrong.Horribly wrong!The guy on Zee takes the cake.He is a cross between Dev Anand and those slapstick comedians of TGILC(The Great Indian Laughter Challenge). Watching him,you can't help laughing as he goes about making a mess of the art of voice modulation with effortless ease.Mr.Subhash Chandra,here's a piece of advice for you.Fix your placement team(Or whatever the guys responsible for choosing hosts are called).With guys like these in charge of your fledgling '1700 crore' empire, you can be rest assured that in your lifetime you will get back to where you started from.

These shows surely got me thinking about the state of the Hindi media(Yawn!!).What makes News Channels broadcast such grotesque stuff? Is it the lack of content(Remember,they have to beam something 24 hours a day!)? Or just a mere paucity of ideas? Or are they just catering to the Hindi heartland,which readily laps up such stuff? Or is it a combination of all the above factors? Guess,the jury is still out on this one.....

Keeping it Simple.....

Writing blogs is never easy. And I realised this as soon as I got down to creating my account, where I experienced my first major hurdle-What should be the title of my blog?. Now this was a real toughie. After all,isn't that the first thing people see in a blog? The title of my blog had to be catchy and fun! It should make people want to read my blog. I strained my grey cells trying to figure out a name, and to say the least, came up with absolute crap!
My first thought? 'The Diary of Aditya Gaitonde'. Naah! Can't be,I told myself. It looked hopelessly inspired and would seem more like an account of my trials and tribulations while dealing with my 'Hitleresque' friends and professors.
Hours after pondering(Mostly,during my exams) over this seemingly stupid question, I finally came up with a gem.'Gai's Meadow'.After all this blog was my stomping ground.I could write whatever I wanted.Just as a cow can do what it wants on a meadow.Pleased as a punch with my imagination but still unsure (as I always am!) about the name, I asked a friend."Dude, Don't keep self-depreacatory names.", he retorted. Yeah Right! What a fool I was! This was not even remotely funny.Thank God(If he exists), I took his opinion.

Cursing my lack of imagination, I finally decided to give up. May be, I should just keep it simple and straight.And so then you have 'Gai's blog'. I know the name is boring and insipid.But that's the best thing I can come up with and my safest bet for now.If you guys have better ideas, then please let me know.Your suggestions are always welcome.

My First Blog

I really wonder what on earth am I doing here? Honestly, I am intimidated at the very thought of blogging. Writing has never really been my forte. I take up hours for just writing a few odd passages. So, how the hell will I manage something as complicated as a blog? From what I know, blogging is all about penning down your thoughts and emotions. And for someone like me, who is always so confused about his emotions, this should be quite a chore!

But,I am not someone who would get easily mowed down. Taking up challenges is second nature to me. Atleast,that's what I'd like you to believe. Plus, I have loads of free time now.Engaging in this exercise should atleast help me hone my writing skillls and make good use of my time, considering that before this, I was planning to spend my vacations watching MithunDa's movies.

So,what do I plan to post here, you ask? Honestly, I haven't got a clue. I have been racking my brains hard on this one.May be, I'll post stuff about my friends, write on my pet passion-politics and once in a while, review a few movies too, in case I manage to catch them within a few weeks of their release. And If I grow in confidence, then may be I could also move on to commenting on just about everything else under the sun.

I just hope that this space makes for a good read(Difficult with my present skill set!!) Also,Please keep your comments coming in.Should be of help to a budding blogger like me.

PS-In case you are wondering how long it took me to write this piece, let me tell you that I have made quite a start. Just took about half an hour.Not bad, huh??