??India lives in her villages,? is a quote attributed to Mahatma Gandhi. ?This isn't the exact quote, though. Gandhiji actually wrote, ?India is not Calcutta and Bombay. India lives in her seven hundred thousand villages.??

Maybe with Gandhiji?s wisdom in mind?? channel heads and their creative teams whet content ideas with producers to meet the single largest viewership in the world -- in the middle class housing societies in urban India and the populace in the small towns and rural areas. So while shows like ??Itna Karo Na Mujhe Pyar, Mahakumbh and Dil Hi Jaane Dil Ki Baatein appeal to urban audiences; the hefty TRPs come from the urban middle class, small town India and the interiors.? That explains why soaps like Diya Aur Baati Hum, Yeh Rishta Kya Kehlata Hain, Balika Vadhu, and even Taarak Mehta Ka Ooltah Chashma have enjoyed a long run and rake in TRPs; with the relative newbie ??Satrangi Sasural joining the camp on popularity.

The credit for audience relatable shows goes to the producers of India?s very first soap opera Hum Log, which kicked off on July 7, 1984 on Doordarshan, India?s only television channel. ?It was the story of an Indian middle-class family of the 1980s and their daily struggles and aspirations. The 154 half hour episodes were fodder for the viewers, they identified with the characters and actors like Abhinav Chaturvedi found a fan following among young women and teenagers. The Ladies compartment in suburban trains was abuzz with Hum Log chatter.

Into the 21^st century, producers still vie for that one pulse beat of the viewers which will spell out success for their serial. Ekta Kapoor felt the first beat when she garnered prime time with Kyunki Saas Bhi Kabhi Bahu Thi. The driving force of the show was Tulsi, the ideal bahu. Set in a ?Gujarati joint family, not just audiences in Gujarat, but across India related to the saas-bahu saga. Draping a sari Gujarati style became a style statement for the non-Gujarati populace. ??The Viranis were almost real for some households ? a teeming joint family, kitchen politics and three generations of bahus. ?It wasn?t uncommon to overhear snatches of the previous night?s episodes on Mumbai?s suburban trains.? Telecast for eight long years, it was the? number 1 show on Indian Television?for eight constant long years and 1833 episodes, it garnered great TRPs.

KSBKBT is now nudged off the pedestal for the largest number of episodes by Balika Vadhu which is still going strong with 1855 episodes. Although Balika Vadhu makes a case against child marriages, it has also taken up social issues like widow remarriage, Jagya and Anandi?s divorce and respective remarriages, child adoption and Anandi - Jagya now bonding as friends. It has ?tugged viewers with the saas-bahu interplay, introducing melodrama in small doses, as the audience loves scenes they can shed a tear for. Besides none of the characters are ??pristine ? each of them has a shade of grey. The story of Anandi?s child marriage has now moved on with her kidnapped daughter?s child marriage, where she is ill-treated by her in-laws. Urban India may have stopped watching Balika Vadhu, but the loyalists from Rajasthan and housewives from small towns follow it avidly. The show continues to grab the audience?s fancy and is delivering stable TRPs, but can?t match its initial popularity.The social message and the realism in content notwithstanding, the Rajasthan setting and the grand haveli ambience have contributed to the viewer connect.

?With 1650 episodes, Yeh Rishta Kya Kehlata Hai is next most popular serial. In the last six-years, viewers have been tracking Akshara and Naitik bring in romance into their lives after an arranged marriage. Set in a Marwari joint family in Udaipur, the story is replete with? ?family ties, respect for parents and family elders and is steeped in tradition and family values. Viewers have lapped up this rishta, though it sometimes offers unrealistic moments with the female characters, ?one of whom ?would dress up to her eyebrows ?to make breakfast for the ?family and wash the dishes! The action has shifted to Cape Town, South Africa. Akshara has shed her saris and heavy jewellery for a simple, trendy look. ?But while offering pooja at a water body ? the women are dazzling in heavy saris and heavy jewellery. Naitik and Akshara, the perfect couple is now complete with their family.? The feel good factor appeals to the viewers, as well as the touch of Rajasthan and its culture. During the first year and a half, YRKKH was the number one show, then for two years it figured in the top three shows, now it is among the top five. But it still grabs eyeballs.

Diya Aur Baati Hum has been?on air for four years, it recently completed 1,000-episodes. The story revolves around Sandhya, who has married Suraj a halwai; despite parental objection he helps her fulfill her dream of becoming an IPS officer. Set in Jodhpur and shot mostly in Rajasthan, with?? outings at the police academy, the audience lapped up Sandhya?s bold decision to join the police force. Mostly in khakis and driving a jeep, she is unrecognizable when she is in saris.? The ??romance of the couple, notwithstanding, there is friction between her and the mother-in-law well. A good ploy to engage the audience, who must have wondered about the long absence of the saas-bahu tussle as Sandhya was at the police training academy.

In Balika Vadhu, Yeh Rishta Kya Kehlata Hain and Diya Aur Baati Hum the location of the narrative must connect the viewer to their roots and childhood. Small town India isn?t about cityscapes with skyscrapers and snazzy cars and bikes ? those are their dreams. ?Bicycles, cycle rickshaws, auto rickshaws and small houses are their comfort zone. These three serials have that home spun appeal for the viewer. ?

?Satrangi Sasural? is a recent? viewer? puller.? It?s a fillip to t he ubiquitous saas-bahu formula.? Set in Delhi,? when Aarushi marries Vihaan Narmada Vatsal, she has to contend with not one, but seven very strong and independent mothers who dote on Vihaan. A few months old, the?? unique dynamics between a?bahu?and seven mothers-in-law, is a first on Indian television. Another USP is that Satrangi Sasural is? a cross section of India?s ethnicity? as each of the mothers are? from diverse backgrounds and have their own individual personalities. Aarushi?s challenge is increased seven-fold. It would be interesting to see how this saat ?saas and one bahu adventure unfolds.

?On the other hand, six years and over 1,500 episodes later, Taarak Mehta Ka Ooltah Chashmah? is the only? show worth its ratings which has no saas-bahu content, yet it has been ?ranked among the top 10 fiction shows. The? viewership profile is as cosmopolitan? as the residents of Gokuldham Society, the largest number of viewers are in Gujarat and Gujarat vasis in the rest of India, thanks to the Gada family and Taarak Mehta ? the Gujarat connection. ?But it has also pulled in Bengalis, Marathi manoos, Sikhs, South Indians, Parsis and those from Bihar-UP, because Gokuldham Society is a vanguard for secularism. TMKOC has retained culture, tradition and ethnic and linguist identity, at the same time blended it with contemporary thinking and lifestyle. Initially, Bhide and the residents were irked by Jethalal?s morning ritual of offering water as he saw the sun. It soon turned to acceptance, just as they accepted Dadaji?s ritual of gargling on the balcony till he stopped the practice. Champaklal Gada is Gokuldham?s universal Dadaji and the voice of tradition, respect and obedience. Commendably TMKOC hasn?t fallen prey to time leaps. Tapu, like Dennis the Menace can never grow up.?