Little things TV can teach

Right in the middle

When I visited my friend’s home some time ago, I saw his ten-year-old niece eating something from a saucer in the next room. She was relishing it so much that I could not resist going to her. I asked her to give some of that food to me.

I was surprised when she literally snubbed me for asking. At that moment, my friend came there and reprimanded her for 'bad manners'. The girl replied that even the 'Crorepati uncle' did not give snacks to anybody.

I did not understand the background, but my friend explained to me that she was talking about the advertisement of a particular namkeen in which Amitabh Bachhan (whom she addressed as Crorepati uncle) acted. In that advertisement, he refused to share the snacks with anyone.

It was shocking to know that a piece of advertisement had an effect on the psychology of children.

Television is serving many ideas to us daily, which definitely shape the thought process of our young ones. I just recalled the advertisements telecast in the yesteryears. One particular advertisement was that of Paan Parag, in which the model was shown sharing the product happily with everyone.

The creative artists and the actors of the Bhujia advertisement or Paan Parag advertisement might not have thought about this aspect of their creativity that sharing and caring habits could be inculcated among the young ones. But these little things mean a lot and have a huge significance in our lives.

The low and shabby standard of TV debates, the vocabulary used by TV anchors, the abuses in teleserials can cause distress to countless people. These seemingly small things are often effective in damaging the human spirit.

Small acts of goodwill and kindness bring peace, joy and comfort to human beings. The most meaningful kindness is often reflected in the simplest things of everyday life. No one becomes evil and self-righteous overnight. Rather, it is the accumulation of little acts of wrong here and there. Similarly, no one becomes a saint overnight. It is also the accumulation of small good acts that eventually pave the way for the flourishing of all goodness in man.

Little things in the positive sense are the reflection of a good life. They bring peace, joy and comfort to fellow human beings. Media planners, creative artists and others who are in responsible positions should take care of those little positive things which help to perfect a good life, and good life encourages the realisation of these little things everywhere and every day. This is a virtuous circle.