Last Sunday, which was also Mother’s Day, as I watched the Prerna Awards on DD National, I was overwhelmed by the stories narrated on stage by Daughters who acknowledged their Mothers for steering them into hitherto off-beat careers like forest officer, Naval officer, etc., even a visually challenged mother in a remote town in Maharashtra, who urged her daughter to study medicine and her son to join the army; she and her husband also sightless funded their children’s education by weaving chair seats, etc. day and night. What was truly significant, as one of the mothers shared that, they who lived in remote towns of the country were being recognized and brought to the city for that. As each daughter presented the plaque to her mother and thanked her.

It was much more meaningful than an Archie's Card, a bunch of roses and a lunch at a swish restaurant. These were the true blue Indian mothers who we saw that evening with their daughters who had so much to be grateful for. Why hadn’t one of our many GEC channels thought of honoring mothers? Even if they had the impact and significance would have been lost in the glitz and glamour of presenting on stage celebrity mothers and daughters.

Bereft of sophistication and packaging, what we saw that evening were women who had a vision for their daughters and helped them achieve their dreams. Thank you Doordarshan. Thank you Anu Ranjan and Anushka for presenting these women and their stories on Mother’s Day. And a heartfelt tribute to the Indian motherhood.

Whatever we say, do or think Doordarshan may be a channel for the aam janta, but it is also the most authentic flavour of India. Often I have queried actors who I know, that I haven’t seen them for a long time; the reply has invariably been ‘Oh, that means you haven’t been watching DD.’ I feel sheepish, as so ensnared are we with the glitzy GECs that we skip the pioneer of Indian television – Doordarshan.

During the late 1980s to early 1990s, DD Metro was the challenger to DD National Network with their primetime fare. As Doordarshan never went out on limb to promote the serials they aired, producers hired PR professionals to send out press releases about forthcoming episodes, etc. One such PR person was in an unusual fix. Two clients shared the same time slot on the two DD channels. Each morning both producers called up for a critique on the previous night’s episodes. This was done as two television sets sat side by side!

Whatever the content, the on-screen drama is kept taut and interesting by the machinations of the bad guys of prime time.
Recently, two actors notably who have made an appearance oozing with all the nastiness they can muster up. They are Reshmi Ghosh and Ankit Arora. Primetime’s vicious ones.

Ankit Arora has stepped in as Sushim the conniving eldest son of Bindusara in Chakravartin Ashok Samrat. He is shown as delving in black magic and other arts of the dark world. The actor has creditably managed to take up the voice tone and inflexion of his predecessor Sumedh Mugdalkar. His own touches are a twitch which precedes an outburst of anger. This is just the beginning of Arora’s prowess at portraying one of history’s darkest characters.

Meri Awaaz Hi Pehchaan Hai has a glam vamp walk in, and she is none other than Reshmi Ghosh who plays Protima Bose, the head of a music label and Vikrant Khanna’s arch enemy. Protima is going to play Kalyani and Ketki off each other and snatch Kalyani away from Vikrant. Reshmi has passed many a litmus test in the stilettos of a vamp. As Protima Bose she will score just one more victory.

What’s soap without the sting of the vamp or the villain?