Divine screen power

Initially she evaded all my queries but gave up and finally revealed candidly. Any media critic would miss this role of the idiot box. The electronic media had a tremendous impact on my dear old granny. Whenever she closed her eyes to worship Sri Rama, there came on her mind screen, Arun Govil, the Rama of TV Ramayan flashing the characteristic divine smile, looking lovingly at `Seethe’. But Ramayan has become the thing of past, I objected, now new Ramas are on the screen. But granny is not to be convinced. For her, first impression was the best. But Hanumans have cast a rather strong impression on her.

Granny has been in the habit of chanting Hanuman chalisa since my childhood before going to the bed. But the screen `Bajarangbalis’ too are haunting her – the mighty Dara Singh, the Hanuman of the same serial Ramayan, tilting his head, characteristically saying `Prabhu’ and in between glimpses of chubby little Hanuman of the recent serial on air, with a long curved tail, dancing rhythmically to a playback song sporting a gada on his shoulders. I could see a media critic in the making when Granny became critical of screen Vishnu and Shiva, for they lack divinity in their faces, she complained.

Well, the gods’ mode of transport caught her fancy too. Just by stretching their hands they move up amidst clouds moving happily towards their destination. That flying picture of gods too often appeared in her dreams.

Troubled by all this granny tried hard to concentrate on the gods in the photo frames kept in the puja room, but in vain. Despite all efforts she was very despondent until she came up with the idea of meditation. I wonder whether I should have tried to caution her from watching the divine serials on TV for in the days to come there may appear many more gods on the tube, though I know it would have been futile because she loves the box so deeply. May the real God save her from the false ones.