A Tribute to CLASSIC Doordarshan(DD) Entertainment

International Documentaries on Classic DD

2013-07-21T14:41:00.001-04:00

Dear Viewers, as you know in the 80s we never had these cable specialty channels like Discovery, Animal Planet or History channel 'cause of Doordarshan monopoly which they enjoyed ruling for sometime but then still, DD brought to us some great geographical documentaries every week from International Television Production co'es like BBC, Transtel and many other. Among them I remembered 2 great shows, one in particular was dedicated on the works of a great Marine Explorer Jacques Cousteau, which was called "Secrets of the Sea" and there was another popular program that I watched n enjoyed very keenly with my Grandpa known as "The Living Planet" presented by a British naturalist - David Attenborough. It took me a while to figure out about these shows they were haunting my mind for many years now and with little help from our Retro DD Fans, I was happy to post it. Watching from shows like these I bet many of you will agree with me:that one can imagine how Passionate these Personalities were with their discoveries as they endlessly explored and later was clearly seen in their work and brought the ideas out into Reality. These great Men loved and worshiped their work outcomes of which, we till date Honor them.

Again feels really awesome to add these clips in this blog where I can just come back and watch it again. I care a big deal for old popular shows out of thousand new series, 'cause of their Work, the quality and above all the Originality. Senior Icons in Educational programs have set so many platforms for new talents which were made in 20th Century that just kept inspiring upcoming Talents resulting today, in some marvelous work we see in Research programs or in studies of the Universe / Planets or Nature of living beings, an Eye opener to understand various facts about Life and forms.

So how many of you did recall the following Programs aired on DD? :)

Secrets of the sea.

Remember! you could watch these magnificent species living under the water, right from your living room, it was cool and fascinating.. Ocean Cool! :) the Spectacular Whales and awesome Dolphins rising from no-where and Diving back into the Ocean was so Mind blowing!. Mr J.Cousteau had a great connection with the Ocean, he having a great time with his Work that he carried on Camera, the drama with these wonderful Mammals and the beautiful Species under-water made this show worth watching.

Mr.Cousteau carried tremendous research about species living in the Ocean. He was the Man who made us- the Viewers, realize how beautiful Ocean life beneath is.

Check out this Cool video.

THE LIVING PLANET
Source: Wiki

Sir David Frederick Attenborough is a British broadcaster and naturalist.

His career as the face and voice of natural history programmes has endured for more than 50 years. He is best known for writing and presenting the nine Life series, in conjunction with the BBC Natural History Unit, which collectively form a comprehensive survey of all life on the planet. He is also a former senior manager at the BBC, having served as controller of BBC Two and director of programming for BBC Television in the 1960s and 1970s.

Attenborough is widely considered a national treasure in Britain, although he himself does not care for the term. He is a younger brother of director, producer and actor Richard Attenborough.

The Building of Earth

HUM LOG 1984

2012-03-29T17:07:00.016-04:00

As a Child, I only recall the title track tune but nothing about the series as I was too young to understand and grasp anything from this show and to tell you the truth, I remember finding this show really boring. Its been said that HUM LOG was the pioneering TV soap opera of the country and today as a grown-up, I totally agree after watching this Pilot episode. This 80s soap, in the history of Indian television set records for getting the highest television rating points (TRPs) for close to a Decade, so there's no denying about the fact that it was one of the most successful family drama in those times. The Legendary characters of the sitcom sold the series wonderfully, has engraved in people's memory who watched it then and I assume who understand "real life drama" of a family will buy it today as well.
Just a thought: Today's Jr.Artists aspiring to Stardom may want to engrave this kind of performance in their mind to be a good actor.

In my opinion, today we'll never find this kind of Art not just because of the different generation or Time but 'cause of the simplicity and the natural performance these Actors delivered. What I mean to say is that its difficult to find such passion with serenity and its the reason that makes me wanna say they are, the REAL ACTORS. Look at their performance, what you're gonna find is the amazing chemistry between each roles, story and most importantly the act which are main ingredients of a Delicious performance. The integration of their body, Language, mind and soul is marvelous. Absolutely there is no commercialism or acting in this old series its like its all happening right in-front of you. Feels really live. Wow! "Old is really Gold".

Every single episode in the end, Ashok kumar gave his reviews and a summary which in a way was very helpful to the viewers and this part was quite unusual for a sitcom which made this particular show distinct from others. He pointed out the issues that everyone faced in the family, their struggles and how some of them took a stand for themselves and for those who didn't do anything about it, let themselves get grilled by the other family members who were somewhat little better-off. Hum log was about the 80s quintessential middle-class Indian joint family and their hardship to tackle the issues living in the hard economy was all very well depicted in the show.

PILOT EPISODE OF "HUM LOG 1984"

Malgudi Days 1987

2012-03-08T22:13:00.025-05:00

Hello viewers! How you've been doin'? I hope really amazing! Here I am to grind your mind again with my Post that some of you like and some of you may not! 'n' Check this out Malgudi is Back! you can watch all the Episodes HERE.

Folks, how would you describe the world today in One word? if you ask me, I would in Two : )
I would describe it "Digital" and as "Commercial". Today we look for things which could magically take us on to a Fast track that could fulfill any needs or relieve any kind of stress, all with an ease of pushing a Button. We live in the world where TECHNOLOGY plays an important role that just doesn't stop striving to make our lives more easier. Some of you may think (as you read this post) what is this Non-professional blogger exactly gettin' at! :) Well yes I may not be making a lot of sense talking about the Times we are in now or how the Technology is taking over our natural lives that could anyway relate to this Post about Malgudi Days 1987 and it really doesn't much but just a little, comparing to how simpler those times were earlier when people lived with almost same material expectations or any other but with a twist and that were about Principles, looking for the real meaning of LIFE, existence of each individual and their contribution to the community. Please forgive me, I am not implying that there are no such people including myself in today's era that would do anything for the betterment of their communities but its just that I personally feel, the voice is not heard enough.

Let me ask you another question, regarding family sitcoms on TV:
Folks, in today's date would you be interested in watching just an Episode about a life of an ordinary Clerk or Cashier or a Cobbler or any Common Man (of any profession) who didn't make a million bucks?? I guess 90% of us may not, since there are lot of choices to skip Or who knows may be we've just lost those directors who created 80s DD soap Operas which had all that. I am talking about those stories like in a 20min episode every week we watched a simple Life of a Farmer who managed to make us cry and at times put a huge smile on our faces and the Viewers no matter what status or class they belonged, they bought it and loved it. There was a connection and the Essence of life was not all that different. One thing I would like to add about Reality shows today in Sports and some informative programs including News and talk shows are really great and have evolved a lot compared to old Doordarshan programs. So that's a Good thing!

Some of the viewers in the mails write to me that "You Digg for memories from the Past 'cause this thing called "Nostalgia" hit you good and for the fact those Serials were off the air for a long time" and I agree but that is not all true. Doordarshan Programs had some really great content with good quality of Art and Direction which managed to convince us and made a difference in our thoughts. Of course in the earlier days Doordarshan, the state-owned monopoly was the only channel yet it had a lot of Variety and thru which we not only got entertained but got educated about lot of things in a fairly practical way. That's how I remember those days.

So how about those times right! who can really forget what Magic Malgudi days brought in our Lives : ) The TV series so well directed by the Late Kannada Actor and Director Shankar Nag based on R K Narayan's short stories along with his Brother, another renowned Kannada Actor, Politician Mr. Ananth Nag who played many roles and contributed really great throughout the show.

Wonderful Stories that revolved around a Small town known as MALGUDI and the period was quite earlier when the Country was under the British Rule. Believe me or not this show had everything, there were stories that dealt with humility, religion, a family, Govt servants, about a Child, a Maid, Vendors, a belief, Student, the watchman or just a Mail-man.. anything you could think of.

Another fact, what is unforgettable about Malgudi days, is the title track ta na na ta na..! the soothing flute music, the playback sounds in the series and the beginning credits. Here's a crazy thought: Is it me or do you also think when you look at R K. Laxman's cartoons, the story tells itself : ) great sketches aren't they? The acclaimed cartoonist R K. Laxman with those superb illustrations always made me wonder what would they show today? will it be a suspense story? a thriller or a happy ending, well, whatever goes on in the mind of an 8 to 9 year old kid, Right!

As we watched we wondered about the Stories that put us into a deep thought, sometimes we laughed, we were surprised, saddened, fooled and at times terrified just like how Life could throw anything at ya. What can I say more, It was simply great, entertaining and interesting to watch. Lastly i would like to say, If there was an Emmy Award or an award equivalent to Oscar for Indian television Programs those days, I bet Malgudi days would have won many and again in many categories.

Watch this amazing Episode: "Engine Trouble" one of my Favorite story 'n' it is so funny about an unsophisticated person winning a Lottery prize at the town's Fair and how he gets Tangled with that Prize..Enjoy!

90s DESH RAAG

2012-02-17T18:11:00.014-05:00

Baje Sargam har taraf se, Goonj ban kar, Desh raag... Desh raag!! This was quite similar to " Mile surr mera tumhara" that featured great personalities and public figures including Film stars. It was a Social advertising that was brought to us by Doordarshan in the 90s. DESH RAAG featured big names in the domain of Indian classical music such as Ravi Shankar, Zakir Hussain and many more. It was a great presentation by Lok Seva Sanchar Parishad, made us realize about our own Rich Indian cultures in Music and Art. As kids we also learnt about the Regional cultures of the country which were like divided into classical, folk music, North Indian Hindustani and South Indian Carnatic music. We got educated about the different Diverse cultures we have within the country and their own significance and History which is so beautiful in its own way. Today I watched it after like 15 odd years, brings back memories somehow it made a lot of sense compared to earlier days, as it shows us to know that our Music n Art is not less than any Western cultures or it is simply incomparable.

I liked watching "Desh Raag" over and over again on DD in the 90s, made me feel that Music if its good breaks any kind of boundaries and until the whole Universe exists Music will be there reaching to all of us. As I think about it I recall my father used to enjoy the Tabla Jugalbandi between Zakir hussain and his Dad or Ustad Alla Rakha in this video, it was Great! Other than all this Music Lovers like me, got to know about the various musical instruments the great artists used like Tabla, Bulbul tarang, Santoor, Sitar, Veena, Shennai etc. I guess every other time when they played this short social advert on DD, I learnt and understood how Music without any language reaches to everyone's heart and how important it is to the soul.

Lok Seva Sanchar Parishad presented a Rich contribution made by some of the eminent Indian Maestros. I feel Proud to to be part of such a great country India. I m so glad to share this video in this blog cause on the whole it still makes us realize to look for the depth of our Culture which has been alive from ages and this video is giving us a powerful message to pass it on and keep it alive as it is the Truth about who we are and where we come from.

Do you Remember Salma Sultan??

2012-02-13T16:10:00.007-05:00

I do, I do!! :) Well, who can forget her, if you've lived as a Conscious child and older in the 80s era of Doordarshan, Right!! .. She used to read the news so coolly, calmly and she was so articulate in her Speech. As far as i could remember she was one of the most serious looking yet pretty and was amazingly graceful in her job of reading the Bulletins among the other Gorgeous News readers. Now that i picture it in my mind according to my memory she was the one who had this hidden kinda smile when she used to read about some entertainment news either in Sports or films. So professional and serene.. Yep, that's what it was all about, those times were different but real, at least to me.

Salma Sultan.. talks about her wonderful days on Doordarshan. She still is so Graceful and Sweet :) and dear viewers how about this, Doordarshan has turned more than 50 today pretty cool!! Good times lets keep looking :) Nice report by CNN/IBN good to know people and the media haven't totally forgotten about the old era of Television programs.

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Other video of Salma Sultan in which she shared her experience while working.

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YATRA 1986

2012-02-07T17:34:00.005-05:00

Yatra (1986) was TV series, based on Himsagar Express, the longest running train of Indian Railways, from Jammu to Kanyakumari, directed by Shyam Benegal, starring Om Puri.

Source: Absoulete Astronomy

Just watched an episode but I don’t recall watching this in mid 80s, might have completely missed. So I believe the series is all about the long journey people cover by Train that included days and them sharing their slice of lives or experiences with. It’s really interesting, thou the series were made more than 2 decades ago but the Life experiences according to me are somewhat similar in today’s era. I’ve watched Mr. Bengal’s Movies they are so interesting and real. I always learnt something new from his Art. He made Rajani, Tamas, Ek Ruka hua faisla which are so well directed and some of these were movies which were shown as part/episodes every week on Doordarshan. Shyam Benegal won many awards to name a few are the Padma Shri, the Padma Bhushan and the National Film Award for Best Feature Film in Hindi seven times.

Watch some Episodes here

A Rare footage on Life and work of Swami Vivekananda

2012-02-05T19:41:00.144-05:00

I would like to thank Mr.Shashank Goel for sending me this link and letting us know about this program which was aired on DD in the 70s and couple of times in the 80s as well, but I guess some of us may never have got a chance to watch it or even if did, I m sure we might have been too young to remember it now. I have been a Huge fan, believer or follower of Swami Vivekananda ji's work and been reading his books from long time. Swami ji's visions have helped Millions of minds and influenced many souls including me.

Recalling those years earlier when we were forced by our folks to read n understand the knowledge imparted by Swami Vivekananda but only it was later in my Adolescent years, when it started making a lot of sense and its been thought provoking since then.

I watched this clip and wish the youth of the world watch it too. Now that its on YouTube, it may help shape the mind and inspire to achieve great spiritual heights. I m Sorry the quality of the picture in the video is little poor in between for few mins but the narration is perfect and uninterrupted.

This has been a Films Division Govt. of India, Production, there are two Narrators one who is telling the story and the other who is the Character. I was totally mesmerized listening to Vivekananda ji's Character Narrator's voice, its so intriguing. The other thing about this presentation what I loved is the beautiful peaceful sketches depicting the happenings in his life, one of which, was the Grand welcome after returning from His successful tour from the West and the continuation of the whole journey of his Life is all so well captured in the Presentation. On the whole, the way they have narrated and presented the difficulties, Recognitions and Achievements of Swami Vivekananda is really remarkable. Unfortunately to find such a great Character Narrator with such voice of dramatic, depth, intensity, poise and composure in today's era, I assume is difficult to find. Have this strong feeling that the Character's voice is none other but Swam ji himself from one of his speeches.

Swami Vivekananda: The Parliament of the World's Religions at Chicago in 1893.

Some info from the Web I read about the Great speech, He had made in Parliament of the World's Religions:
Here's a little summary:
When Swami ji gave the welcome address opening of the World Parliament of religions, HE spoke and started with these few words: “Sisters and Brothers of America.” The 7,000 people in the audience, immediately feeling the depth of his sincerity, rose to their feet and according to reports, “went into inexplicable rapture with standing ovation and clapping, that lasted for more than 3 minutes. He went on, "It fills my heart with joy unspeakable to rise in response to the warm and cordial welcome which you have given us".

Something Cool I thought to share with you all. Below is a photograph that I took in 2006 when we were fortunate to live in that pretty city for sometime, Chicago of Illinois state in the United States, a wonderful place to be too :) We were driving around the Downtown and I spotted this Street sign of "Swami Vivekananda Way" and I just lit up feeling so proud. A great Philosopher from my Motherland had made His Mark in a totally different part of the world and a whole street was dedicated in HIS name, right in the heart of Chicago, with Honors and Stars on it..How AMAZING is that folks!! : )

The Parliament of the World's Religions LIVE Recording!
You can listen to this live audio originally tapped on September 11,1893 cut into 4 parts here.

Part 1

Part 2

Part 3

Part 4

All that is real in me is God; all that is real in God is I. The gulf between God and me is thus bridged. Thus by knowing God, we find that the kingdom of heaven is within us.

NUKKAD 1986

2012-02-01T23:19:00.008-05:00

I believe this TV series was quite a Hit in the mid 80s, though I can't remember anything, but I do know we used to watch the kids program then FRAGGLE ROCK - Live by the Rule of Rock (bunch of puppets living under a Hole of Castle looking building which was a workshop by the Ocean, belonged to absent minded inventor named Doc) right before Nukkad used to be on.

Here's more Info from Youtube by Shemaroo

Nukkad deals with the struggles of urban youth trying to make a living in an increasingly harsh social and economic climate. They all meet at the local street corner Nukkad every evening where they share their slice of life with each other. Enjoy this fun-filled cult classic serial brought to you by Shemaroo.

Watch some Full Episodes Here

Random Episode: A Cup of Tea!
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Hello Viewers! I just found a clip of Mr Yogi 80s comedy show!! :)

2012-01-29T00:36:00.004-05:00

Mr Yogi!.. Mr Yogi!... n something goes after that title song right?! I remember very well it had this unusual techno music in the title track in 80s which was so great to listen to and as it was running we used to keep humming the intro track even after the show was over. The series of this show was based on situational comedy and it just used to get us hooked to watch it more n more :)

Mohan Gokhale was the lead actor in this series. The plot was all about this gentleman known as Mr Yogi, who's like an easy go Happy kinda person, well settled in America and who comes to India in search of a bride. In this particular Episode you see that this is a guy from the West; trying to get accustomed with the culture in India. As he goes along, he learns the trouble in the process of knowing a girl thru traditional way of arrange marriage and wonders why wouldn't the Girl talk to him or answer to any of his questions. Anyhow since his views are modern he gets on to a small quest of somehow seeing her talk n eventually manages to strike some conversation. The ending of this episode is really very interesting.

Sooo folks, weren't those times of 80s sweet 'n' shows like these close to reality??. In fact I was impressed by the direction of Mr. Ketan Mehta as he has portrayed a really rare character for those times like in this episode the Girl (Radha seth) had quite the Modern views of not really following and believing in Traditional thoughts. Watch n Enjoy :)

RAJANI 1985 - The Crusador

2011-12-13T15:16:00.004-05:00

Basu Chatterji's first foray in Television - within a month this one was a mega hit with 'Rajni' becoming a household name across the country. Priya Tendulkar, better known as the firebrand crusader 'Rajni' hit the national limelight for her role as a crusader fighting for the rights of the common man in the TV serial 'Rajni'. The serial, first telecast in the mid-1980s on the then government-monopoly broadcaster Doordarshan, instantly turned her into a cult idol. Ordinary people would approach Chatterji and Tendulkar for help. Even government officials from different parts of India asked Tendulkar, who was known to the masses as Rajni, help to instil confidence in the people's minds.
Source: http://www.basuchatterji.com/basuchatterji/rajani.html

The Title track of the series, sweet memories :)

NEEV 1990

2011-11-28T17:38:00.002-05:00

DHARTI PAR SURAJ KI KIRNE
RAKKHE NEEV UJALE KI,

VIDYA KI PRAKASH ROSHAN
NEEV RAHE VIDYALAY KI.

NEEV Television series aired in 1990. About students leading their teams and being an example as a good leader. Thou in the show the students were not really kids they were like from Pre University or the schools that continued Higher secondary till 12 standard, Public School or Central Board system. I was a young viewer had not even hit the Junior High which starts from 7th i suppose :)
Yeah so whatever the times were then, all I can remember about this series is that, it was a High school Drama about the Students who were leading certain Houses named after Prominent Figures like "Nehru house" n so on and the tricks or traits used by the House leaders to get their Teams going and Winning the competitions thus, bringing a name to that House. Creating a History of leadership skills by the House Presidents and to achieve the goals for the Schools.

Some House leaders/presidents chose the wrong way to mark their names in the History of schools.

The NEEV series influenced, inspired us and helped us to gather good knowledge of leadership skills. It also taught us what would really happen if you break the rules which are basically made to build a good Character. Good show.

Here's an Episode uploaded by User zingdecor
Recall the times, let us know if you remember their Real names :)

Original Title track of the TV series by Amit Kumar.

Tribute to JAGJIT SINGH

2011-11-03T17:25:00.001-04:00

We have lost a Precious Soul on October 2011, who might have healed millions and millions of Mind, Soul and heart thru his brilliant music. Winning millions of hearts with his soulful Voice and compositions like "Ye daulat bhi le lo" or "Hoton se chhu lo tum".

When people were so madly diverted to the new techno film music somewhere in the 70s, Jagjit Singh ji re-introduced GHAZAL by filling amazing spirits and gave a Beautiful, Modern and Attractive Face to the Film Generation. In this process He, unknowingly was establishing and creating a Level of Brilliant Ghazal music for the Film industry as well and in turn also created a Level and marked his name in the non-Film Modern Ghazals.

JAGJIT SINGH the "Man" who Re-created Ghazals and made it so simple to everybody in the world not only to just understand the type of Music Ghazal is but also to Respect and Fall in love with Ghazals. He was Successful, he got his Fans hooked and was so Creative and consistent with his work conjuring Hits like "Meri zindagi kisi aur ki" and some of my other Favorites like:

Tum ko Dekha toh
Koi Dost Hai Na Raqeeb
Jukhi jukhi si Nazar
Hazaaron Khwaishen Aisi-Mirza Galib,
Tum itana jo muskura rahe ho
Mein nashe mein hoon
Ek purana mausam lauta
Hosh walon ko khabar kya
Patta-boota-boota haal hamaara jaane hai

(Some of them are added in this blog http://timelesshindisongs.blogspot.com/ under the Category of Ghazals) and many more including Albums that were released.

MAIN NASHE MEIN HOON
(Concert audio)
This is our Favorite, a Pure piece of Ghazal, composed and sung by Jagjit ji.

I just remembered another amazing fact about Jagjit ji regarding "the fans" is that He used to involve his "Fans" so peacefully into his simple Music and the effects were really great and powerful. Thru our own experience I feel proud to share this details as we were fortunate to be in a concert. That is where we found this Beautiful piece of Ghazal "Main nashe mein hoon" and we instantly fell in love with the song. The way Jagjit ji sung it makes all the difference, perception about Life thru his work you can figure out its mind-blowing!!
The type of music he delivered was really something great and makes you loose yourself in his Aura. I say this cause in this particular song there is a different kind of music in every para and even when he emphasized on certain words like "BEKHUDI" makes you feel there's some kind of Life coming out of the word and lets you imagine his pain thru the way he sings. This is what I found a rare magic in his Music which came straight from his HEART. Long Live the King!

New additions of clips and Info on old Doordarshan Sitcoms!

2011-10-07T15:16:00.009-04:00

CHUNOTI 1987 Episode Clip

In this episode you can figure that, they have exposed the bad management of running an Institute as in not providing good lab facilities for the students who sincerely want to study and their struggle to rebel against the management. On the other hand the bad guys; Tony want to canvas for a leader in the form of Electing a GS of the college who can run the show on his terms. Ramakanth is a noble student who tries to find the good in very student and wants to take these bad students into a Right path and seeks for support from the students to change all this.
Known stars: Suchitra Krishnamoorthy is pretty young in this Episode :)

AADOS PADOS 1985/86

This show was made in mid 80s. Life revolving around some friends living under the limitations of the society, trying to hide some true feelings or emotions about one another. This is what I assume and think the sticom was farily about, after watching the clip. Please add your info about this show if you know something.
Known stars: Amol palekar, Rameshwari and Naresh Suri
Here's a Clip:

SHRIKANT 1987

I have no idea what this show was all about. Just have this detail thou received from a viewer of this Blog and that is, Shrikant was TV adaptation of a classic novel by late Sharat Chandra Chatopadyay in Bengali. If you do know more about this series please add your comments.

GUL GULSHAN GULFAM 90s

This was a beautiful show but I really cannot recall the story line. There are these 3 House-Boats in Kashmir, I think of Gul, Gulshan and Gulfam three Brothers and the family drama. You can find more info about the cast from this link
Here's a Title song of the Sitcom:

AISA BHI HOTA HAI 90s

I used to simply DIGG for this show and the Host was so adorable. She made it so interesting with her story about the great individuals who used to perceive Life totally in a different manner i suppose and discovering certain cultures and places which were quite different from a normal life. I really liked the show she brought so many strange yet great facts about People, Cultures and places. If you do know her name please share with us. I remember this show was a Big HIT!.

KATHA SAGAR 80s

This was another Good Television series which had different stories in each episode.
Here's more info from a website:-
Old TV Serials On Doordarshan, Katha Sagar is a celebration of Genius, Watch Shyam Benegal and other renowne directors translate the works of internationally renowned authors into the language of celluloid. Chekhov,Maupassant,Munro,O'Henry,Tolstoy,to name afew Brought alive through the sensibilities of the masters of modern Indian Cinema. An exploration of the mind of man, An expperiment unique in cinematic history, Episode-Wise Breakdown Of 37 Stories
Source: Youtube
Watch a Clip of Katha Sagar:

PARAM VIR CHAKRA

Param Vir Chakra is the highest award in Military. One of the very great shows made in 90s Doordarshan Channel which always made me proud of my country.

"Shaan Teri kabhi kam na ho, aye WATAN, mere WATAN.... Mere WATAN!!"

I wouldn't stop singing this title song after I watched the series which got me emotional as I learned about my country's real HEROES who unselfishly fought for the security of the Motherland, Who live a real life. I must say lived their lives always on the Edge to protect us from the enemies and managed to make the Country proud always. I SALUTE them with my whole heart. Great series dedicated to all the Lost Brave souls and to inspire the youth to be more proud about our Country and Serve. Watch the Title track of the Series here :)

JUNOON 90s
Fulfilling your every Desire.

This was a huge hit too based on Business family drama aired in early 90s on Doordarshan. You can find some info about the cast thru this link:

WAGLE KI DUNIYA 1987/88

Written by R K. Laxman

TV stars:
Bharati Achrekar and Anjan Srivastav

the beautiful tale of a middle class Indian man. The show was based on the characters created by the Legendary cartoonist Padma Vibhushan R K Laxman and He had scripted this beautiful serial.

Read more at: NDTV.com cartoonist

It was a marvelous entertainer, which, in some ways, embodied TVs ubiquitous appeal over the language barrier. The concept was simple and clean, which only focused on the world of the quite essential common man ‘Wagle’. Each episode is a separate story about this middle class family and their day to day, almost mundane, yet exciting life. Anxieties, anticipation, apprehensions, appreciations, appalling incidents, … all form a part of their small and simple world. The serial was as much loved in North India as it was in the South.

There was this one episode from the serial, which I somehow always remember during the Diwali Festival. In that, Wagle goes shopping for new fabric that was to used for the new curtains for their small house for Diwali. He forgets how much meter he was required to purchase, by his wife. And he lands up buying much much more then needed. Now to use the extra fabric, the family decides to use it by making shirts and other household items, out of it. So on Diwali eve, we see the whole family in same clothes, with same curtains, dinning mats and bed sheets….it was simply hilarious.

Source: Desibaba

Watch some clips of the show:

Farmaan 90s DD TV series

2011-06-11T03:41:00.021-04:00

FARMAAN was a hit television show directed by Lekh Tandon in the early 90s. I remember this very well as i myself used to be so hooked to this series, thru the internet and other websites when I was trying to find more about the show as to whether its available or not in that process, I got to know that this Television series was based on a very Famous top selling Novel called "ALAMPANAH" by Rafia Manzoorul Ameen whose Huge fan I am myself. I have read some of her Work but I never knew that this whole series was based on her book.
Main Characters in this TV serial:
Kawaljit Sigh as Aazar Nawab & Deepika Deshpande as Aiman

Here are some of the clips sadly the quality of the videos is little poor. You can tickle your mind thou and try to recall something about this show, I think it was about the post Nizam period in Hyderabad or something like that. Cool were those days right! all these kind of Shows were so peaceful to watch cause you are actually gaining lot of info about those earlier Times and the systems or how they lived and all that. What can we say about the Actors?? they were so passionate and really good in whatever they delivered, no commercial stuff it was pure Talent and what you think about this: there were no re-airing of the show, no repeat or replay or Re-runs(whatever they call it) like now in today's era of Television. That's the Magic!!

Watch Some Episodes of FARMAAN : )
Directed by: Lekh Tandon

Produced by Gul Anand.
Based on the Urdu book Alampanah by Rafia Amin
Starring: Kanwaljit ; Deepika Amin (Deshpande); Raaja Bundela; Navin Nishchol; Vinita Malik, Kalpana Iyer, Neha Sharad.

PILOT Episode

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PILOT Part 2

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Episode 2

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Episode 3

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Part 2

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Episode 4

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Episode 5

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Watch More Episodes Here Enjoy!!

TENALI RAMA 1990

2011-05-16T14:29:00.001-04:00

This show was made for the kids, it was a television Series that aired on Doordarshan in 1990s. We enjoyed every bit of it. This show was very educational too. You can watch some episodes HERE

More from the Web:

Tenali Rama was a court-poet of the Vijayanagara Empire in the 16th century. He was one of the the Ashtadiggajas who were patrons of King Krishnadeva Raya. Tenali Rama was known for his wit and a large volume of poetry he wrote in Telugu. His fascinating story was made into a classic TV series on DD, which was immensely popular in its time.
Source: Shoppingonlineindia

UDAAN 1989

2011-04-26T19:49:00.010-04:00

Do you remember this wonderful TV series UDAAN which was shown in 1989? I think this show was made to motivate Women and free themselves from following the traditional roles that were been told by their Parents or their own old folks when they were little. Also this show was all about inspiring to follow the dreams by honoring themselves and respecting who they are. We loved this sitcom right! after watching the Clip here remembered I really liked watching the title track 'cause the music used to get me, it was so inspiring right in the beginning, you see this little girl freeing a bird and when she does she watches it fly so high up in the sky and that makes her so happy : )

So I think UDAAN was all about inspiring to break those lack of Self worth that Women felt instead to freely express their views and step out of limiting self beliefs or being submissive to the situation. To believe in equal rights between a Man and a Woman.

Beautiful show made by Kavita Choudhary, written and directed by herself and she herself played as the main lead, who can forget her name "Kalyani" who turns to be a young, vibrant promising IPS (Indian Police Service) officer in the show : ) She Inspired me and I loved her Performance, really great. I am not gonna miss watching it again if I get a DVD or something. Folks may I request you to please share the details of UDAAN series if you find anywhere. Thanks.

More from Wiki:

Udaan (Flight) was the name of a popular Hindi TV serial that aired on the Indian Television channel DD National in 1989 - 91. The serial was written and directed by Kavita Choudhary who was also the main lead of the serial. It also starred Shekhar Kapur in a cameo. It was probably the first Indian television show on women empowerment. The serial is inspired by true story of Kavita Choudhary's elder sister Kanchan Choudhary who after several hardships went to become the first female Director General of Police. The direction and performance of Kavita Choudhary were applauded and loved by the media and the public. It was so refreshing to see a lady IPS (Indian Police Service) officer in Kavita Choudary's role that was not only humble, but also wanted to perform her work in letter and spirit by going to the public and placing the public's needs ahead of everything else, in the true spirit of a public servant. Also, as happens in the US and other countries, Kavita portrayed her role of as a friend and guardian of the public who the public should want to go to for help, not a policewoman that everyone should fear. In fact in several episodes of this serial, Kalyani Singh IPS chastens her constables and other police officers for speaking with the public in a rude manner. This was very refreshing.
Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Udaan_(TV_series)

Awaited Classic DD Sitcom Clips of all time!!!

2011-04-22T23:14:00.017-04:00

A Big Hello to all the Fabulous Classic DD Fans!

I hope you're havin' a Good time here reading and watching this Blog, Thank you for Visiting Friends. I bet you'll feel much better after lookin at this post and may like it too, as I present to you Clip Memories from the past of your all-time favorite shows from 1980s right from YouTube and they are about: Wagle ki Duniya, Yeh jo hai Zindagi, Buniyaad, Hum log, Mungerilal ke haseen Sapne, Yeh Duniya Gazab ki and Circus. Some of the Clips are very short but I m glad I was able to find something to tickle the sweet memories from the past. Folks, if you have any links to full episodes of Old Hindi Sitcoms please do share it with us or e-mail it to me at oldidiotbox@live.com and I appreciate all your mails and I love working on your feedback as well.

The Old Doordarshan Days:-
We have talked about the old television era a Million # of times and still can't stop thinking about those lovely moments, am I right? So guess what dear viewers, couple of months ago out of curiosity I happen to talk to my old folks who owned the Television sets from mid 70s and I asked them, How was it exactly in those earlier times with Doordarshan Monopoly network Programs in regards to the show Popularity or ratings and what do they best remember? So this what I got to know which was kinda weird and that is, when the shows were being played in the Original time of airing like Ramayan or Mahabharat most of the streets in India were clear (empty) hard to believe, isn't it? I felt quite strange n bit funny but that's the way it was. Also felt that the 70s n 80s viewers were a bit crazy! gave a big deal about their favorite programs and now I think to myself, WHY NOT! (that's what we are doin' here today in this blog, talkin' about our fav shows) so it all makes sense as our Favorite shows appeal to us in a unique way.
If you ask me what appealed to me? I would say, the older Gen Directors, play writers, Story writers who had such good sense about presenting the real life experiences, showing people to understand about True family values and I don't know how to put it more clearly, I think a lot of soulful thinking went into the making of these kind of Programs or sitcoms which still helps us today about gettin' through hardships or any kind of struggles.

Today we have like zillion no of Shows/Programs but the streets are not empty unless I guess, if its about the ICC Cricket World cup, speaking of which, makes us feel so awesome and proud about our country, an amazing feeling after all we were declared as the 2011,World champs :) but yeah coming back to the topic, whatever kind of days 70s thru 90s were: we just love to talk about 'em here in this Blog...Howzz that!!
Down Memory lane I found these Clips, so Enjoy people!! Some of the videos aren't clear i m sorry,
a little sound defects but please try 'n' remember these faces who entertained us in every possible
way there can be, some of these shows inspired me so well, that I personally cherish and can never
forget.

Some info from the web about old DD Sitcoms:

WAGLE KI DUNIYA 1988
Who can forget this show it was so entertaining about a Middle class family and how simple Mr.Wagle and his Wife lived and soon then became household names then. I got to know lot of stuff which we didn't know kike about financial situations, Family issues, about relationships, love and caring for family. We got an idea and learn't to tackle some problems we had to experience when some likely situations occurred. That's what it was all about. Great sitcoms actors and great performance by Bharati Achrekar and Anjan Srivastav who had become household names in the 80s television era and really don't know who the kids were but all I remember is that we used to eagerly wait for this show to come up and just forget the other world and got lost into Wagle World : )
This show was written by none other than R K. Laxman the great writer and cartoonist whose Big fan I am and will be forever : )

Watch a clip here

BUNIYAAD1986
Blur memories cant remember much about this show but I guess it was about certain well to do business families and at the same time not so well to do families. The struggles of women, finding true identity. Also I guess it was about finding true values of a person in the family, about Relationships.

Here's more info about it from the web:

Buniyaad is an Indian television drama-series that was directed by Ramesh Sippy and Jyoti Sarup. The series was written by Manohar Shyam Joshi and dealt with the Partition of India in 1947 and its aftermath.
Source: WIKI

Listen to the title track and watch a clip from YouTube here

HUM LOG 1984
This was little similar to Buniyaad I think and I remember in the end Mr Ashok Kumar Sr.Actor from the Film industry use to give a summary as to what happened, why it happened and what should've or could've been done to avoid a bad situation or better a situation. Now when I recall those times this is kinda funny, I remember getting bored at times cause I was a kid and rarely found these soap operas interesting. These were all grown-up shows, we used to sneak and watch and try to understand what really was going on and the way my folks watched keenly and bit seriously, I used to simply wish "Why can't I understand what was goin' on" :) So these kinda memories is still so alive in us.

Here's some info from the web:

Hum Log (We) was Indian television's first soap opera. It began telecast on Doordarshan, India's national network on July 7, 1984, then the only television channel of India, and it quickly became immensely popular. Indian audiences loved the show and the characters became legendary and a common topic of discussion. Hum Log is the story of an Indian middle class family of the 1980s and their daily struggles and aspirations.
Source: WIKI

Watch a Clip here

CIRCUS 1989
Circus aired in 1989 launching the King of Bollywood Sharukh khan then as a young artist, his television career took off and was going smoothly after "Fauji" n at the same time he got some breaks and starred in other shows after that like "Umeed" and guest starred in "Wagle ki Duniya". Mr Khan was budding then and today he rules the bollywood industry after gettin' into main stream show business worked out pretty nice for him and his efforts paid off.

About this show, it was directed by Aziz Mirza starring Haidar Ali, Ashutosh Gowariker and Renuka Shahane with Sharukh Khan. Circus as far as i recall it was all about life in the Circus world about the performances by the people who participated and made their living out of it by endangering their lives with fatal stunts and training the wild animals.
Watch this clip you may recall something.

A Clip from UMEED old serial starring young Sharukh Khan

MUNGERILAL KE HASEEN SAPNE 1989/1990
Mungerilal Ke Haseen Sapne was a popular Hindi TV comedy serial directed by Prakash Jha that revolved around the life of Mungerilal, played by Raghubir Yadav. The serial was written by Manohar Shyam Joshi
Source: Mungerilal ke Haseen Sapne www.shoppingonlineindia.com

Watch a Clip here

YEH JO HAI ZINDAGI 1984
Sweet young couple who live in the city and juggling with their work life and personal live in a fun way and try to keep their relationship lively no matter what.
Dont you just love the title song, Enjoy it here!

More info from the web:

Yeh Jo Hai Zindagi (literal meaning: 'This Life As It Is') was a popular comedy sitcom on Indian television, aired for the first time in 1984. It was written by comedy writer Sharad Joshi and directed by S. S. Oberoi and Raman Kumar.
It was one of the first sitcoms and one of the biggest hit shows on Indian television after the state owned television, Doordarshan, started sponsoring its programs.
Source: WIKI

Watch an Episode.

POTLI BABA KI KAHANI

This was a puppet show I think and the stories were being narrated so beautifully I used really enjoy watching this in the late 80s or may be in the early 90s. I found the title track on youtube and here it is:

YEH DUNIYA GAZAB KI

The series came out in late 80s I believe with almost same team of Yeh Jo Hai Zindagi of 1984 and it was a Comedy series. The show stars Rakesh Bedi, Rajesh Puri, Swaroop Sampat, Neha Sharad and Tiku Talsania.
Episode Clip brought to us by Cine Curry

Watch all the Episodes Here of YEH DUNIYA GAZAB KI

Doordarshan had variety of Shows in limited time of airing and it gave us the World of happiness with lot to imagine and wonder not only about Indian culture but across the world.

Keep pouring in your requests.

Thanks once again to you all for the sweet mails and please keep writing to me :) my Apologies, if I don't find the videos of your requests. I will keep trying.

More to discuss?? Bring it on, lets Digg in! :)

Old Commercials on Doordarshan - Part 8

2011-04-10T19:43:00.009-04:00

25th anniversary of India's first soap opera 'HUM LOG'

2010-05-31T21:29:00.006-04:00

Hey Guys! look what i found on youtube... HUM LOG a retro sitcom and they are Celebrating for completing 25 years since it aired on Doordarshan in the year 1984. Watch some of the stars talk about the show and their experiences. It is so good to meet them again. I enjoyed this video and I hope you do too :) toh chaliye aaj milte hain Laajwanti, Lallu, Badkhi aur chuthki se aur Taaza karte hain woh yaadein.

Beauitful title song: which goes like this aayiye haath uthaaye hum bhi, hum bhi...hum bhi...hum bhi!!!
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Old Commercials on Doordarshan - Part 7

2010-04-04T23:55:00.007-04:00

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1980s International Sitcoms aired on DD

2010-04-01T15:19:00.011-04:00

How many of you remember these International shows aired once upon a time on Doordarshan National Channel? I've added as much as I could remember, I would request you folks, to share more if you know.
These shows were so different and entertaining? they were little difficult to understand in the beginning but then later as time passed somehow we learnt, tried hard and managed to get entertained. Some programs were informative and we were able to use that info in our day to day life, they really helped. I assume most of the international Programs/Sitcoms were American and Brit and we loved it didn't we folks? with their unique variety of shows for kids and adults, they captured our hearts and got us hooked to watch more and more.

I also recall some of the fav shows that we endlessly used to talk about with friends at school that were so hilarious, funny and at times sad. Don't you feel these kinda memories are still so alive in us?
That's the reason I want to travel back in time to re-live simple sweet days of our childhood for Fun and enjoy it just the way it was before, being clueless 'n' Naive. To rediscover and learn about different traditions, cultures and the lifestyles across the world. I wish i could. Well at least we can cherish them right here and discuss those wonderful times. Cheers to that : )

Here are some of the International shows aired on Old DD.

Different Strokes
I remember this show vaguely, its a story about two smart black brothers, they're young teenagers who were being brought up by a White man. The younger one was cute and funny. I think the show was all about tackling problems in one's life and finding a true identity.
Wiki info:
Diff'rent Strokes is a popular American sitcom that aired on the NBC and on ABC television network. This sitcom starred Gary Coleman as Arnold Jackson and Todd Bridges as his older brother, Willis. They played two African-American children from a poor Harlem neighborhood whose deceased mother previously worked for a rich white widower, Philip Drummond (Conrad Bain), who eventually adopted them. They lived in a penthouse with Mr. Drummond, Mr. Drummond's daughter Kimberly (Dana Plato), and their maid.
Source: WIKI
http://

Didi's Comedy(Non-stop Non-sense)
Oh Yeah the Didi Comedy series :) loved all of the series of that show. We used to burst out laughing and Didi did a great job! what a Legendary comic artist he was, brilliant performance. The DiDi's Comedy show (aka Dieter Hallervorden show) was a 1989 German comedy television show starring Dieter Hallervorden.
Wiki info:
Didi is a bumbling detective who is struck by "brilliant" ideas which turn out disastrously; he eventually comes out on top, however. The show is based partly on Didi's comedic antics, many of
which would be impossible in real life. For example, he takes part in a hammer throwing competition at a police sports event, forgets to let go of the hammer, and is pulled by centrifugal force
into the skies; he is saved by hanging on to an aeroplane. The English language version of the show was subtitled "Nonstop Nonsense".
Source: WIKI
http://

Sherlock Holmes

I used to wait for this show curiously to know what is it going to be this time in this episode? even though I understood very little, yet i managed to get somethin out of it by curiously following to know whether the outcome of the crime case or story was chosen for the bad or good and how Mr.HOLMES would get to the bottom of the Truth. Wondering how is he goin' to find out about the bad guys? so as a Kid, this constantly used to tickle my little brains out ha ha! We really enjoyed and i guess learnt a bit to build suspense as we watched and tired to understand the drama in it.
Wiki info:
Sherlock Holmes is a famous fictional detective of the late 19th and early 20th centuries, who first appeared in publication in 1887. He is the creation of Scottish-born author and physician Sir Arthur Conan Doyle. A brilliant London-based detective, Holmes is famous for his intellectual prowess, and is renowned for his skillful use of "deductive reasoning" while using abductive reasoning (inference to the best explanation) and astute observation to solve difficult cases. The series was broadcast on the ITV network in the UK, and starred Jeremy Brett as the famous detective, a portrayal that many consider to be the definitive screen version of Sherlock Holmes, although this is a much-disputed subject.
Intro clip and opening credits of Sherlock Holmes.

Street Hawk
I used to love the Opening theme of STREET HAWK still do, the music was soo awesome to us as a child. Then it was quite thrilling. Do you remember that stereo kinda voice that introduced "Jesse mark" (real name Rex smith) goes something like this "This is Jesse Mark an ex-motorcycle cop, injured in the line of duty, now a police troubleshooter he's been recruited for a top secret government mission to ride "STREET HAWK". still goes on and we wait for last few words "the man, the machine, the Street Hawk! .. :)
Wiki Info:
Street Hawk was an American television series that aired for 13 episodes on ABC in 1985.The show was about a police officer and former amateur dirtbike racer called Jesse Mach who was secretly picked to test a top secret project named "Street Hawk" - a high-tech motorbike capable of speeds in excess of 300 miles per hour. Norman Tuttle, his partner, designed and built the bike and reluctantly picked Jesse to test it. Mach began to lead a double life, a police Public Relations officer by day, and crime-fighter by night.
http://

Knight Rider
This was very similar to Street Hawk starring David Hasselhoff but in this series instead of a Motor bike it was a high class Sports motor vehicle build for fighting crimes at night. I just read that it was very expensive car for those times in early 80s it was built spending US $100,000.
Wiki Info:
Knight Rider is an American television series that originally ran from September 26, 1982, to August 8, 1986. The series was broadcast on NBC and starred David Hasselhoff as Michael Knight, a high-tech modern-day knight fighting crime with the help of an advanced, artificially intelligent and nearly indestructible car.

Conceived and produced by Glen A. Larson, the show was an instant hit. "I wanted to do The Lone Ranger with a car", and "Kind of a sci-fi thing, with the soul of a western", Larson said in The Last Great Ride. In 2003, in research conducted by web-portal Yahoo! amongst 1,000 television viewers, this show and other popular televisions series from the 1980s such as The Dukesof Hazzard were beaten by The A-Team as the one "oldie" television show viewers would most like to see revived
Knight Rider Theme bit of intro is in Foreign language

Remington Steele
This was a Detective show played by Brosman. Yep! Peirce brosman who was quite young in that series and within few years he got some really good breaks in the Motion pictures including one of his successful movie playing the part of an 007 agent, JAMES BOND.
Wiki info:
Remington Steele is an American television series, produced by MTM Enterprises and first broadcast on the NBC network from 1982 to 1987. It starred Stephanie Zimbalist as private detective Laura Holt and Pierce Brosnan as a roguish former white-collar thief and con man who assumed the fictitious Remington Steele identity. The show took an offbeat approach to the standard TV detective genre, with ironic plotting and elements of romantic comedy. To watch the Title track you can follow this link at Amazon
http://

Faire tale Theatre

This was quite a show back in the 80s for us as Kids.Do you Remember those stories written by famous comical writers/author's with stories like:
1.Cinderella
2.Pinocchio
3.Beauty and the Beast
4.Story of 3 Pigs
5.Thumbelina
Didn't we wait curiously for new stories every week? my experience as kid watching FAIRE TALE THEATRE is that, i was so fascinated by the Background sets every-time it was so surprising to see those beautiful set-ups and I loved the Host, she made it so interesting my giving some gist of the story and leaving a bit of suspense so that we could keep imagining how the story would shape.
Another thing what I most recall about Fairytale theater was the interesting costumes they wore suiting their mythological characters from the west and like any other child I kept on thinking,' what was it all meant to be??
Here's a intro video hope this will bring back some cute memories :)
http://

Wiki Info
Faerie Tale Theatre, fully Shelley Duvall's Faerie Tale Theatre, was a live action children's television series created by Shelley Duvall that ran from 1982 to 1987 retelling popular fairy tales. Shelley Duvall serves as narrator, host and executive producer of the program, and occasionally stars in episodes.
http://

God Father
I remember our Male family members were so hooked on to this original Movie which was cut into parts/episodes on DD in the late 80s and it was shown after the News i guess at night around 9:30/10:00. It was bit Violent based on world war times about American-italian Maphia families. A strange thought I m sharing with you that is, I dont know why i had developed this weird feeling about Godfather's theme whenever i listened to in the 80s, to be bit scary and alarming..Psyche! :)
As a movie GODFATHER was quite a success worldwide in the 70s. There was a remake of the movie in the early 90s.
Wiki info:
The Godfather is a 1972 film based on the 1969 novel of the same name by Mario Puzo and directed by Francis Ford Coppola, with a screenplay by Puzo, Coppola, and an uncredited Robert Towne. It stars Marlon Brando, Al Pacino, James Caan, Robert Duvall and Diane Keaton, and features Richard Castellano, Abe Vigoda and Sterling Hayden. The story spans ten years from 1945 to 1955 and chronicles the Italian-American Corleone crime family.
http://

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Oshin
This was a Japanese show aired on DD and it was a huge Hit. About a cute sweet little girl living in a hard economy and was sent away to support her Family.
Wiki info:
at seven years, is sent off by her father to work as a babysitter, in order to support her family. With the physical and verbal abuse by her employer, Oshin insisted on sticking it through for the sake of her family. However, when she is accused of stealing money, she runs away and for days suffers through snow blizzards as she walks back home to be with her mother. But the blizzard is so rough on her, she nearly freezes to death. She's rescued by a man who himself is a fugitive, and stays with him until the snow melts. Upon her return to her home, Oshin is once again sent back out - this time to Kaga-ya in Sayaka to work as a babysitter. She makes good friends with the daughter, who is the same age as Oshin, and stays at the Kaga-ya until she turns 16. But even after returning home once again, her father wants her to once again go back out and work as a bar maid. Realizing that the bar maid job is a cover for prostitution, Oshin runs off to Tokyo to follow her older sister Haru's dream of becoming a hair stylist. While as a hairstylist, she met her husband and they were married. While they survived the Great Earthquake of 1923, their house and business was destroyed and they had to return to her in-laws house. As the marriage was not approved by her mother-in-law, Oshin suffered great hardship while living with them. She broke her arm while attempting to escape and even lost her soon-to-be-born baby because of the hard labor she had to endure working in the fields. She finally left her in-laws with her child but without her husband and attempted to rebuild her life. Subsequently, she found out she could no longer be a hair stylist because of her broken arm. She found jobs as the owner of a small bar-restaurant, pastry chef and even a peddler of fresh fish. Her business boomed and with her husband's help, Oshin established a small but bustling raw seafood shop.
Here's a Intro clip:
http://

The story continues right up to present 1983, and follows Oshin's adult life as she becomes a wife, raises children of her own, and experiences real-life events - including earthquakes and World War II.
http://

Silver Spoons is an American sitcom that aired on NBC from September 25, 1982 to May 11, 1986The title of the show is based on the expression that rich children are born with a proverbial silver spoon in their mouth, implying that they are given only the very best and work for nothing. It is also a term for family wealth. Despite the premise, the goal of the show was to disprove either of these notions.
http://

I Dream of Jeanie
is an American sitcom with a fantasy premise.Astronaut Captain Tony Nelson is on a space flight when his one-man capsule comes down far from the planned recovery area, near a deserted island. Tony notices a strange bottle that rolls by itself, and when he rubs it after removing the cork, smoke starts shooting out and Jeannie materializes and kisses Tony on the lips with passion, shocking Tony. (In the second season's animated opening, it's a kiss on the cheek and Tony is happy to receive it). Eventually, Jeannie (a homophone of genie) "blinks" a recovery helicopter into the area to rescue Tony, who is so grateful for her help that he tells her she's free. But Jeannie, who falls in love with Tony at first sight, reenters her bottle and moves it into Tony's duffel bag so she can accompany him back home. Tony at first keeps Jeannie in her bottle most of the time, but finally relents and allows her to develop a life of her own. The first thing Jeannie does is break up Tony's engagement to the general's daughter.
http://

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Who's the Boss
The title of the show referred to the clear role reversal of the two lead actors, where a woman was the breadwinner, while a man stayed at home and took care of the house, thus the question of who the "boss" really was. It challenged media stereotypes of Italian-Americans as wholly ignorant of life outside of urban working-class neighborhoods.
http://

Star Trek

We were Glued to the TV at the time of STAR TREK airing and loved every bit of the show. It was so wonderful felt like as though we were living in the space-ship giving awesome commands fighting with the Alien powers and protecting the Space-ships and their people from them.
Wiki Info:
Star Trek is an American science fiction entertainment series and media franchise. The Star Trek fictional universe created by Gene Roddenberry is the setting of six television series including the original 1966 Star Trek, in addition to ten feature films with an eleventh in post-production to be released on May 8, 2009. The franchise also extends to dozens of computer and video games, hundreds of novels and instances of fan fiction, several fan-created video productions, as well as a themed attraction in Las Vegas. Beginning with the original TV series and continuing with the subsequent films and series, the franchise has created a cult phenomenon and has spawned many pop culture references.
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Mind your Language
Great comedy British sitcom about Foreign Students who want to learn the English language in England.
Wiki info:
Mind Your Language is a British comedy television series, that premiered on ITV in late 1977. Produced by LWT and directed by Stuart Allen, it is set in an adult education college in London and focuses on the English as a Foreign Language class taught by Mr. Jeremy Brown, portrayed by Barry Evans, who had to deal with a motley crew of foreign students. Three series were made by LWT between 1977–79, and the show was briefly revived in 1986 with six of the original cast.
Watch some funny Scenes HERE in this blog.
Here's a clip of Mind Your Language

OLD COMEDY INTERNATIONAL SHOWS IN BLACK 'N' WHITE BY "LEGENDARY ARTISTS" ON DOORDARSHAN NATIONAL CHANNEL FROM ?? THRU 80s.

I love lucy

Thru my dad i got this info about this shows being aired on Classic doordarshan channel somewhere in the late 70s or bit earlier which was long before I entered into this world :) My folks say it did pretty good for some time.
Wiki info:
I Love Lucy is a popular and influential American situation comedy, starring Lucille Ball, Desi Arnaz, Vivian Vance and William Frawley. The black-and-white series originally ran from October 15, 1951 to May 6, 1957 on CBS. The show continued on for three more seasons with 13 one-hour specials, running from 1957 to 1960, known first as The Lucille Ball-Desi Arnaz Show and later in reruns as The Lucy-Desi Comedy Hour.
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Charlie Chaplin

Charlie Chaplin, was an Academy Award-winning English comedic actor. Chaplin became one of the most famous actors as well as a notable director, composer and musician in the early to mid Hollywood cinema era. He is considered one of the finest mimes and clowns ever captured on film. He greatly influenced other performers.

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Laurel and Hardy
The two comedians worked together briefly in 1917 on The Lucky Dog. After a period appearing separately in several short films for the Hal Roach studio during the 1920s, they began appearing in movie shorts together in 1926. Laurel and Hardy officially became a team the following year, and soon became Hal Roach's most famous and lucrative stars. Among their most popular and successful films were the features Sons of the Desert (1933), Way Out West (1937), and Block-Heads (1938) and the shorts Big Business (1929), Liberty (1929), and their Academy Award-winning short, The Music Box (1932).
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To conclude my Dear Friends, about Old Comic Black and white International shows after watching these clips: what comes to my mind is that, though these shows were old but the entertainment till date is so Fresh and enjoyable, you can still watch them and laugh your hearts out. Pure, classic, Original and Mind blowing Performances. Seriously these LEGENDS are now remembered as Rare Diamonds as they created this wonderful Platform of Comic Entertainment which is so inspiring to the young artists and a great treat to the VIEWERS. Artist of today's time, I doubt if they can ever deliver this kind of Natural Performances which came out straight from their HEART and also doubt if youngsters/any artists would ever develop that undying Passions these Great Legends had in them.

Malgudi Days 1987

2009-07-11T16:54:00.003-04:00

Malgudi Days is a collection of short stories by R.K.Narayan that focused on the trial and tribulations of a small Indian town of Malgudi. According to R.K. Narayan, Malgudi is a town "habited by timeless characters who could be living anywhere in the world" and is located on the banks of river Sarayu and surrounded by the Mempi Hills.

BACKGROUND

The serial Malgudi Days was directed by the late Kannada actor and director, Shankar Nag in 1987, and was shot entirely near Agumbe in Shimoga District, Karnataka. The music was rendered by L. Vaidyanathan and was produced by T.S. Narasimhan of the Padam Rag Films. It included many of Narayan's short stories and novels such as Swami and Friends and The Vendor of Sweets. R.K.Narayanan also got award for this. He was educated in Chennai and went to maharaja's college in Mysore. He was awarded the Padma Vibhushan in 2000.the struggling days of R.k.narayan made him write this phenominal stories , Malgudi was an imaginary town .,The town of Mysore where R.K narayan lived has influenced him a lot to write this stories as we can see the flavour of the city in each story., He started this stories with a book and pen which was gifted by his grandmother.., R.K.Narayan's friend kittu purna has also part in this success story as he helped MR.R.K.Narayan to Publish this Stories

PLOT

Vendor Of Sweets narrated the story of a sweet vendor, Jagan, his business and confrontation with his son who had returned from abroad. The title role was played by Kannada actor, Anant Nag.
Swami and Friends revolves around ten-year old Swaminathan, or Swami as he is known by other characters. Swami portrays the growing pangs of a boy who despises school, as he makes excuses and roams around Malgudi with his friends. Swami's father works in a government office and his mother is a housewife. At home, Swami shares his adventures with his aged granny, who lovingly addresses him as "Chamy." Swami also has two close friends; Mani and the son of the Police Chief Superintendent, Rajam. Swami's character was enacted By Manjunath, a regular feature in many of Shankar Nag directed movies.
The sketches for the serial were done by Narayan's brother and acclaimed cartoonist, R.K. Laxman. Thirty-nine episodes of "Malgudi Days" were telecast on Doordarshan.

Source:http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Malgudi_days

Introduction about Malgudi Days and R K. Narayan himself, narrated by Shankar Nag the Director.

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Malgudi Days Theme.

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Preview of Malgudi Days 1987 Sitcom aired on Doordarshan.

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SWAMI & FRIENDS

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SURABHI 1992

2009-06-18T14:35:00.006-04:00

Surabhi was telecast in early 1990s. It was a hit show as far as I remember. This Show was all about giving Rare information about Indian culture, Traditons and Historical Places in India. The show was hosted by Siddharth Kak and Renuka Shahane, I hope i've not got their names wrong ;). We used to watch these shows very keenly and get surprised by the Talents of certain people on how they used to do certain things, learn or teach old Cultures. We watched very old traditions or Creations about making pots to handicrafts or health secrets to performing certain Arts differently, you know there were lot of stuff which used to be practiced ages ago and were kept alive by professionalists from those ages till today. We used to love to watch and learn those things thru Surabhi.

In the end of the Program Siddharth and Renuka asked interesting questions like to guess a certain thing or figure out something. People from different states and neighboring countries used to send them their art for Surabhi. It was so great to watch. Why dont we watch some episodes here.

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Old Commercials on Doordarshan - Part 6

2009-06-04T18:48:00.003-04:00

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Old US Version of Pepsi(diet)

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1987 Making of MAHABHARAT - Behind the Scenes

2009-05-23T13:56:00.006-04:00

I dont think we were fortunate to watch the making of Mahabharat on 80s Doordarshan before the show started or even after the Show was over, But what the heck thanks to Youtube and Youtube users. We get to know the artist little better behind the Scenes and the wonderful people behind the Scenes who contributed to this great Show.

CLIP 1.A

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CLIP.B

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CLIP 2

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CLIP 3

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CLIP 4

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It was so nice to see actors show their emotional side even when there are some really tough roles or Villan roles but its so different behind the scenes right. Also like every other good show here in American Sitcom there's a Closure that we see where in the artist get little emotional and they give a last bow to the audience. We never see that in Hindi Sitcoms old or new but you'll notice in the Clip 4 here how emotional Mahabharat Actors got when the show was ending. Its priceless isn't it. Love it.