Is the TV controlling you?
PRATHIBHA KUMAR
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Watching TV is a fine balancing act.
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PHOTO: M. PRERIASAMY
Take a breather: Watch cartoons before or after homework
It sits there, ruling our household, overseeing wars over the remote. On a lighter note, it is all ready to brighten your day. And we are talking about the television-which has become the heart of our living rooms today. Now let’s take a minute to just sit down, lower that volume and think. So, do you find yourself looking at your watch every five minutes when you are in the middle of doing something, waiting for your favourite show to start? Do you feel restless whe
n you are not watching the tube when at home? If your answer to both the questions is a yes, you are looking at a problem. Television viewing could be addictive and sap all your energies.
Get real
Smruti Poola all of nine years of Chaitanya Vidyalaya says, “My favourite show is ‘Hannah Montana’. I would not miss it for anything.” The dangerous part is when children start watching soaps, they start wanting their life to be like the show, all rosy and romantic and when this does not happen they get upset and angry.
Rajini, a teacher of St Ann’s High School rightly says, “The idiot box makes fools out of us wrecking our imagination and identities.” And not forgetting those misleading buys, we purchase anything our favourite actor endorses not using our logical judgement.
Television however, is not always the ‘bad guy’. “Television is a necessary evil,” puts in Nayantara, a teacher.
It can be informative, with a bit of sensible viewing. Prem Giri fondly talks of her grandson Udbhav. Brownies for him as he selectively watches cartoons and National Geographic channel.
News channel are important to have a look at what’s happening around the world. And the cartoon channels offer a breather after a hard day at school. But give yourself a fixed time slot for your daily dose of television.
Whether you are 5 or 15, the principle is the same. It is all about balance. Everyone who can mix fun with learning or learning with fun deserves a pat on his or her back.
Dos:
Obey the advice on viewer’s discretion note for a particular programme
Your life does not have a ‘to be continued’ tag. So, get on with your life.
Join a club, read, choose a hobby. There are so many half hours of the day when you could do something to make you feel proud of yourself.
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