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At last, documentaries
By Amita Malik



One of the great casualties of Indian Cinema and media is the short
film or documentary. Except for newsreels and documentaries made by
the Government of India's Films Division, it was impossible for
documentaries made by independent filmmakers to get released in
cinemas. They had to be first sponsored and paid for by the Films
Division.



When one enlightened Minister for Information and Broadcasting made a
good gesture and said that Doordarshan should screen atleast those
independent shorts which won national awards, the gesture was involved
more in the breach than the observance.



As for TV channels, the less said the better. Although they were
always happy to screen their own programmes on political and social
issues, to screen documentaries from outside or by others, however
worthy, was or not even considered. Which is why it is to its credit
that NDTV has started a regular Thursday documentary programme.



And the first documentary screened certainly justified the launch.
Titled The Many Faces of Madness, it was basically on India and the
environment which had a wide stretch.



For instance, it would be news to most of us that the patents of more
than 100 Indian medicinal plants have been grabbed by foreign
countries. And there was a steady succession of instances providing
how the Indian environment was being destroyed. One was actually shown
the before and after of green forests being replaced by dry grassland.



TV has a large reach because even people who cannot read and write can
see and hear. For instance, the devotion of the Bishnois in guarding
wildlife and the environment and the way, led by Bahugama, villagers
protected trees with their bodies became largely known to the masses
through TV.



In this context, one will look forward to more long documentaries not
only on NDTV but also other channels, as their value in educating the
public about very important social issues cannot be stressed too much.



One must confess that watching Dussehra and Durga Puja on TV is always
not only spiritually uplifting for many, but also has a quiet fun and
enjoyment of its own, particularly for those of us who, for some
reason or other, cannot visit pandals in person.



I made it a point to watch English, Hindi and Bengali channels
throughout the festive period and what I enjoyed most was the
creativity of the pandals in Kolkata which vie with each other for top
awards. There was one made of aluminium, another was based on a poem
by Rabindranath Tagore. And would you believe it, one was based on
Buckingham Palace and another on Hogwarts Castle, which won the best
award.



The Delhi and Mumbai pandals seemed to concentrate more, as did
Dusserah, on VVIPs. But Kolkata remained democratic and relaxed and
everyone enjoyed it. Another item which I enjoyed thoroughly, although
it was carried on for far too long was the amazing spectacle of 31
stars singing and dancing to Om Shanti Om, led by Shah Rukh Khan and
even seniors like Mithun Chakraborty, Rekha and Dharmendra joining in
with zest.



And lastly, there was for me, the sad spectacle of MS Dhoni shedding
his locks for a crew cut. We all remember that famous occasion in
Pakistan when president Pervez Musharraf complemented Dhoni on his
hairstyle and advised him not to cut his hair. His long locks have
long been Dhoni's own special identity and I was as hurt as his fans
to find him unrecognisable with his crew cut.



The rumour goes that one of the actresses, on whom he has a crush,
asked him to trim his long locks. It this is true, all that I can say
is: Silly girl.



If you want to exercise the power of love, by asking a man to destroy
his identity, you simply don't deserve him. I hope Dhoni will soon
realise this sort of devotion is not worth any girl and revert to the
long locks everyone loves and admires, including your columnist. Not
to speak of the thousands who copied his long locks.



Footnote: There is a herd instinct in TV presenters which can be very
amusing for viewers. For as long as one can remember, it was the right
thing for presenters to say a programme would continue "after the
break."



Then suddenly someone used the phrase: The programme will resume "on
the other side." The sheep duly followed. So now everything is "on the
other side" and not "after the break." Amen.

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