Life without TV

A couple of weeks ago, when Freia, Reia and I were driving back from an engagement, we got around to the topic of Freia’s studies and how she needs to watch less TV and focus more on her studies. She was currently logging more TV hours than book hours. That’s when Reia asked me whether I could stop watching TV. And since I was preaching and had been cornered, I had no option but to bravely say, “Of course, YES.”

And that was it. Both girls made me promise that I would not watch TV and neither would they, until their exams are over, which is like a couple of months. In return, I was to buy them a gift each of their choice. I readily agreed. Till they added the twist in the tale. In case, I watched TV, then they were entitled to their gift and the “No TV” rule would not apply. Not having an option, and seeing this as a good opportunity to get Freia to study, I agreed.

2 weeks later, our house has transformed. We were a 24 x 7 TV household. The first person to get up would switch it on, and it got rest only after the last person had gone to bed. And we weren’t happy watching 1 channel, or program. We would simultaneously watch 2 and sometimes even 3 programs. Switching between breaks. During songs and unimportant times, and so on. And today there is no TV.

2 weeks and we’ve all adjusted. The radio, which was an expensive show piece came on. And we were pleasantly surprised, when we found it actually worked. Ivy who’s been motivating us to listen to music and switch of the Idiot Box with no success, is shocked. Albeit pleasantly. The first week was the toughest. I now know how addicts feel when they are being denied their poison. My hand would automatically go towards the remote, till hawk eye Reia would start staring at me. And the remote would get thrown away.

Has it helped any of us. The truth is that like most things in life, I have no idea. It certainly has made me look for other things to do at home, such as reading. Hopefully, the next step would be writing. A book. Oops, I forgot to mention. Part of the deal was that I would use the time I save by not watching TV in writing a book. My first one. So I have 3 months in which to write a book which hopefully at least Freia and Reia will read, if not the rest of the world. And if a few more did actually end up reading it, that would be a bonus. I guess the most important aspect however would be to actually write it.

The book journey starts tomorrow. That is, “If tomorrow comes”. Since I like many of us, am a great procrastinator. And although believe in Nehru’s philosophy of “Kal ka kaam, aaj karo, Aaj ka kaam ab”, am not able to practice it very well.

But miracles have been known to happen. No TV was an unexpected miracle. Maybe the coming year will bring in a lot more, such as Freia taking her boards seriously, Reia actually studying and their lazy Dad writing a book. And if all or maybe even some of that happens, we’ll all celebrate 2011 as the “Year of Miracles”.