How Normal Is Television Craze?

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Ramanand Sagar's mega epic TV Serial "RAMAYAN", when first telecasted in 1987, created unprecedented records. It blazed new trails all over the world with a unique distinction of achieving something which even prophets, scholars, great thinkers, religious leaders, social reformers and politicians could not achieve in centuries.
The message of "Ramayan" cut across all the barriers of caste, creed, language and political boundaries. The euphoria that "RAMAYAN" created and documented by the media during its telecast, is itself a legend.
Media Documentation

During that sacred three quarters of an hour, the Chief Minister of Uttar Pradesh, the largest Indian State, refused to take any telephone calls. In Jammu and Kashmir, angry viewers attacked a power station when electricity cuts disrupted the telecast. A lawyers' conference in Patna had to be delayed when its opening coincided with the telecast and nobody turned up. A bride was late for her wedding ceremony in Satara in Maharashtra because she was watching Ramayan. Two ministers turned up one hour late for her swearing- in ceremony at Rashtrapati Bhavan. They said they were busy watching "Ramayan". The Bharat Milap scene brought in Bhopal two Muslim brothers on inimical terms, together after having lived separately for ten years. So moved was the elder brother by the serial, that he transported all possessions which were the reason of the split, to the younger brother's house. In a Ranchi mental asylum, usually rowdy or violent inmates – on Sundays – when they were out in open pelted stones on monkeys sitting on trees in the compound, watched "Ramayan" peacefully. When they saw HANUMANJI performing various tasks for LORD SHRI RAM, their attitude towards monkeys changed. They started leaving food for the animals and even erected a Samadhi for a dead monkey. In Bombay, "Ramayan" even cured a boy of amnesia. After a serious accident, the boy could not remember anything from his past life. Several efforts by his parents and treatments could not revive his memory. One day his sister asked him to see "Ramayan." A faint recollection of the theme music of the serial triggered off a positive response and the boy soon recovered with subsequent treatment. A funeral procession in Muzaffarnagar was delayed by an hour to enable mourners to watch Ramayan. In Lucknow, distraught patients complained that doctors and nurses had abandoned them while the show was on air. A man died in Karnataka while watching "Ramayana". The family members attended to him and cremated after the serial got over. Many churches all over India rescheduled their Sunday masses so that church goers can watch the serial. After watching the scene in which Laxman becomes unconscious on being hit by Indrajit's arrow – NAAGPASH – a wealthy businessman in Madras fell seriously ill and went into coma at the shock of Laxman wounded. The credibility and source of sequence created a great furor, but the Sagar's stood their ground. But when they received a request from the business man's doctors' to help them revive the old man the Sagar unit worked round the clock and prepared a special clipping which they air dashed to Madras. Only after the man saw Laxman reviving back to life in the new clipping – also based on the authentic research – did he recover back to normal life from his coma.
• A wedding baraat arrived in Lucknow station 9.30 a.m. on Sunday only to find that all the coolies as well as the rickshawallah's were engrossed seeing the serial. The bride's parents' being influential people attempted to lodge a complaint with the station master, only to find him busy watching the serial. Even threats did not get him to budge from his seat before the TV set. Exasperated, they called up a union minister to seek justice, only to be given a terse reply that the minister himself was busy watching the serial and to call up later.

Nope, I hate TV. Its a big timekiller.

There was a time whan I was also damn crazy about TV....😆
But not so much......
TV is such a waste now............
Dont see it nowadays....


According to me its pretty abnormal to be crazy like this...
leaving everything and watching with such dedication........
Weird!

Wow...can people be this crazy about a SHOW?

After watching the scene in which Laxman becomes unconscious on being hit by Indrajit's arrow – NAAGPASH – a wealthy businessman in Madras fell seriously ill and went into coma at the shock of Laxman wounded. The credibility and source of sequence created a great furor, but the Sagar's stood their ground. But when they received a request from the business man's doctors' to help them revive the old man the Sagar unit worked round the clock and prepared a special clipping which they air dashed to Madras. Only after the man saw Laxman reviving back to life in the new clipping – also based on the authentic research – did he recover back to normal life from his coma.


thats just stupid!

I love my remote control more than tv.........😉😛I do watch Tv but not addicted with any particuler programs....😊

LJ - All the reactions you listed in your post scream of nothing but blind following and superstition.  They all decided to give their brain some time off during the time that show aired - plain and simple.  They all need to get a life. 

Its not normal. But is amusing. I think we ought to lock these people up with Trekkies,  Starfans and Twihards and see what unfolds.

Me and my sister didn't fall ill or go into coma or anything else but we sure did follow Ramayan religiously every Sunday morning. We used to get bored also sometimes because the serial was seriously slow paced, with a couple of sad songs and Sita picking flowers and such tid bits hogging most of the time.
We also watched Mahabharat regularly, and we liked it better than Ramayan.

Anyways, the reason for watching these programs with so much enthusiasm was simply because the options at those times in India were far too less and especially when it came to children or family entertainment. Other than these there were only a few cartoons like Spiderman on Thursday evening, He-Man and Disney (the old one, not the Disney hour that came later) on Sundays and a few serials and Chitrahar which our parents used to watch.
And no way would we've watched Nepali folk dance/song programs and Kishan something every evening.
Edited by souro - 14 years ago

I agree with Suoro - this show aired at a time when television was a new phenomenon in India. Television shows were new, and a religious show could capture the attention of an entire nation, and they would feel good about watching it and getting so involved in it because it was religious. Even then, most of these instances are way over the top.

Edited by Believe - 14 years ago