Founded way back in 1959 on September 15, Doordarshan completed 61 glorious years of its existence recently. NT KURIOCITY asked youngsters to share their memories about the iconic channel
As a child I used to watch lot of cartoons like Beyblade and Pokémon. And when I was in class 5, I remember my dad cut the cable connection because he thought I might get distracted and wouldn’t focus on my studies. I never focused on studies hence I did not get my cable connection back for five years. My sibling and I were, therefore, left with was Doordarshan. Since we had no other source of entertainment, we had to watch Doordarshan and we got used to it. To be honest our family used to watch every show together. Shows like ‘London Ki Ek Raat’, ‘Main Banungi Miss India’, ‘Happy Home’ and ‘Hari Mirchi Lal Mirchi’ was our favourite and we really enjoyed these shows. I still remember how my sister and I would wait for Fridays. On Fridays, new movies used to be screened and on Sundays, old films used to be screened such as ‘Gumnam’, ‘Anand’ and ‘Kranti’. If it wasn’t for Doordarshan I would have never got the experience of watching these iconic films while growing up. The best thing about Doordarshan is that it has something for every generation.
Ashis Acharjya, co-founder, Kalakari Revolution, stand-up comedian, Merces
I remember the first time my family bought a television in 1990. At that time ‘Mahabharat’ was the most popular programme. Every Sunday at 10 a.m. all of us would gather in front of the TV. The opening song was very popular. I am sure that the conch blown by Krishna in the opening song could be heard throughout the country. Life would come to a standstill during ‘Mahabharat’. And today when life has come to a standstill because of COVID-19, ‘Mahabharat’ came to my rescue once again.
Pranav Nerurkar, Panaji
As a ’90s kid I have been very familiar with Doordarshan and their programmes. There was a time when our present-day ultra-modern channels weren’t there and DD was at its greatest. Most of the programmes were people-centric, knowledgeable, and concerning nature and culture. So, I feel lucky that I too was a part of a couple of programmes on Doordarshan having worked with All India Radio for multiple dramas. These institutions have paved the way towards the better broadcasting of entertainment in our country. I still get a very happening vintage vibes when I watch their shows. Lockdown helped me get back to DD and revisit some of their iconic series like ‘Ramayan’, ‘Mahabharat ‘and ‘Upanishad Ganga’.
Kishan Mangeshkar, Don Bosco College Of Engineering, Margao
Doordarshan, the legendary public broadcaster has provided us with some iconic shows in the past. Be it religious shows like ‘Ramayana’, ‘Mahabharat’, ‘Shri Krishna’ and so on or be it comedy shows like ‘Shrimaan Shrimati’, ‘Yeh Jo Hai Zindagi’, etc or superhero shows like ‘Shaktimaan’, ‘Junior G’, along with authentic news bulletins and sports telecast, DD always had something in store for every age group in the family. The COVID lockdown was full of nostalgia due to the retelecast of some of these iconic shows and I would like to thank DD for it. Hopefully, DD will learn from its history and give us some good quality content in the future too.
Saish Gaitonde, Panaji
The education system in Goa is not well established, hence many students have to move outside for better facilities and learning. Yet many youngsters from outside come here to study, maybe because of the appeal of Goa being a party destination or for the sun and sea. The Goan educational system is not bad, it’s better than some but it’s not as good as others. 70 per cent of Goan students choose to stay here because of family and friends.
Shwetang Nadkarni, Don Bosco College of Engineering, Margao
Definitely educational system is better in Goa but its best for limited fields like IT or Hotel Management but what about other fields? Goans who prefers joining other fields, for example: Art and Design related fields have no alternative choice than going out and study in well know colleges for their ‘Dream plan’.
Isha Patil, resident of Taleigao studying at NIFT, Bengaluru
In Goa there is transparent education system compared to other states. Goa has one of the best colleges in their respective field (ie: Institute Of Maritime Studies situated at Vasco-da-Gama) which provides better learning opportunity and adds value to their personality. Outsiders have this stereotype thoughts so called ‘Peace of Mind’, some do their admission because of this reason which gives them privacy and further leads into alcohol consumption. Education here in Goa is far more affordable than in other states. It purely depends on the career path, Hotel Management aspirants prefer Goa as educational hub, while for professional careers such as CA, CS, the opportunities are better outside Goa. Other side is, since Goans colleges running out of seats which lead them to take admission outside the state to pursue their career.
Akhil Prabhu, Agnel Institute of Technology and Design, Assagao
It’s always said that no one likes what is being served on their plate while the neighbour’s plate always seems better. IT is for this reason many students from Goa move elsewhere. But there’s a mystery as to why other students travel to Goa to acquire graduation in subjects like engineering, etc. Our education system is good but not as versatile as the universities of Mumbai or Delhi. Some come to Goa because it is a safe place, most come here because Goa is envisioned as a party destination, and the saddest part it is that very few come here to study seriously. Many Goan students who go out for further studies find it difficult to adjust with the lifestyle and food habits elsewhere because there is no such place as Goa, where people are loving, caring and happy. Such an environment builds a great surrounding for wholesome development of the student.
Shivani Nadkarni, VM Salgaocar College of Law, Miramar
