These Silly Indian 'Soaps'

As a kid, I still remember, how i used to plead with my parents to permit me to watch TV 'serials' amidst a hectic schedule before the exams. Yes, 'serials' as they were called then, were endearing, something you looked forward to watch after a hectic day at school/college. A wholesome entertainment for the entire family - grandparents, parents and kids included. I can still remember sprightly little 'Swamy' from R.K. Narayanan's 'Malugdi Days', the carrot-munching detective in 'Karamchand', or the upright judge in 'Barrister Vinod'. Can one forget the eerie, but sometimes realistic tales in 'Ek Kahani'; or the brilliant portrayal of a family caught in the tumulus times of the partition in 'Tamas' ; the emotional strife suffered by a family in 'Bunniyad' and the real-life characters living on a street in 'Nukkad'?While 'Ye Jo Hai Zindagi' never failed to tickle your funny bone, 'Rajani' raised awareness on consumer rights by weaving brilliant stories around the lead character, Rajani, and her problems with the Indian system. The young woman who overcomes male discrimination to become a police officer in 'Uddan' was probably one of the first serials to create awareness on women empowerment through television.Contrast this with the sample 'Soaps' that are beamed in our living rooms: Kahani Ghar Ghar Ki, Kyu Ki Saas Bhi Kabhi Bahu Thi (Hindi); Metti Olli, Kollangal (Tamil); Adhuri Ek Kahani (Marathi)The common thread among most of today's 'soaps' are the tiffs between bad mom-in-laws, daughters-in-law and equally evil sisters-in-law who spend most of their time planning each others downfall, often going to the ridiculous extent of using 'black magic' spells and even hiring killers to finish the job.The other common alternative to the 'script' has been to introduce the "other" woman/man in the lead character's life. With serials being extended or prematurely concluded as per TRP ratings, the storyline and characterisation has all gone awry. The results have been quite hilarious: People wake up from coma, amnesia and sometimes even wake from the dead. Characters appear as twins with no prior rationale explanation of their existence; ex-lovers appear after years to blackmail the lead characters; illegitimate kids pop up from nowhere, demanding a share of the ancestral property. It is little wonder that characterisation often appears hollow; the script is horrendous, while the storyline never seems to have an end. To make matters worse, TV stars either call it quits or commit suicide when the serial still tops TRP charts. These stars are promptly replaced with new faces who continue spouting the same silly dialogues of their predecessor. So have we seen the end of the golden era of Indian TV serials?