What TV shows did you watch as a kid?

With time, many things changed and with it the ways of entertainment also changed. The era of films lasted for a long time, many times it also changed. This era is still going on. The difference was so much that with the change of generations, the choice of the audience kept changing. In the eighties, along with films, a new medium of entertainment, television, also got added to it. The audience got the option of sitting at home and entertaining themselves. First came ‘Doordarshan’ which entertained the audience for years. Today, even though ‘Doordarshan’ has lagged behind in the race of entertainment, but the serials of Doordarshan are still fresh in the memories of the audience of that generation. Initially, the broadcast time of Doordarshan was limited. But, whenever a program started, the whole family would sit in front of the TV. The audience would not only watch entertainment programs but also programs like Krishi Darshan.

In the history of Indian television, ‘Hum Log’ was the first serial, which was telecasted on Doordarshan on 7 July 1984. This serial closely depicted the life of the middle class of the country. Its popularity was similar to that of ‘Ramayana’ and ‘Mahabharata’ later. ‘Ramayana’ is considered to be one of the most successful serials of Indian television. This serial of Ramanand Sagar had such an impact that it brought out the religious sentiments of the viewers. When this serial was telecast on Doordarshan, the roads would become empty at that time.

Shaktimaan, one of the favorite serials of children of the 90s, was ‘Shaktimaan’. All the children of that era would be familiar with this serial. Children used to be very excited to watch this show after finishing their studies. This show started on DD National in the year 1997 and ran till the year 2005. At that time, children used to think that Shaktimaan was not a serial character but a real person who had magical powers.

Sonpari,, The children of the nineties eagerly awaited the start of this serial. This show ran for four years, but was a great source of entertainment for children. In this serial, the role of children’s favorite Sonpari was played by Mrinal Kulkarni. The story of a girl named Sonpari, Altu and Fruity was very much liked by the children of the nineties.

Haatim, how can we forget the children’s favorite show Haatim. The magical story of Haatim and Jasmine was one of the favorite shows of children of that era. Even after closing, the popularity of this serial did not decrease.

Shaka laka bum bum, who can forget the story of the magic pencil and Sanju. It was a special wish of the children of the 90’s that they too should have a magic pencil like Sanju. That is why many children had pencils with Shaka laka boom boom in their stationery at that time. Even today these pencils can be seen in the market, seeing which the memories of childhood are refreshed. This show ran from the year 2000 to 2004.

Mogli, ‘Jungle, jungle baat chali hai pata chala hai aise…’ These are the lines that Gulzar had written for the ‘Jungle Book’ serial. From children to adults, everyone used to wait for it. This Japanese animated English series used to come on Doordarshan which was adapted in Hindi.

In the eighties and nineties, ‘Hum Log’ and ‘Buniyaad’ were milestones in popularity. Apart from this, there are many serials which may seem light in terms of production today, but were popular because of the story. ‘Malgudi Days’ based on RK Narayan’s stories was also a favourite serial of children in 1987.Remembering my childhood TV shows brought me back to my childhood.