Acharya Tulsi
Science is the greatest marvel of the 20th century. Its remarkable inventions are truly dazzling. They are also of great utility for the common man. Science is also responsible for providing man with a great many conveniences, so much so that it seems extremely difficult today to separate science from life. There was a time when man worshipped nature; his living depended wholly upon natural sources. Today science seems to be supplanting nature in man's affections. The gap between man and nature has been imperceptibly growing wider. Behind man's distancing himself from nature and his increasing fondness for science, are several factors which directly or indirectly influence his life. Of these, one important factor is 'television', popularly known in its abbreviated form as TV.
TV. in itself constitutes the culture of the modern age—a culture which has rung down the curtain on all cultural values, thrown into disorder the social values, and vitiated the harmony of family relationships. This debased culture is man's greatest tragedy. It is nothing uncommon that the saints should be deeply sensible of this tragedy since, being totally unattached; their perception is not vitiated by absorption in the pleasures and orgies of the world. But when a worldly man grows conscious of the tragedy, his feeling comes to represent the experience of the common man.
A keen student of public and social relations and former adviser in the Ministry of Information and Broad-casting, Dr. N. Bhaskar Rao, while holding T.V. as a curse for family life, calls for "an end to all fiddling with our ancient cultural heritage, values and family traditions." He feels that the TV. today is playing a role drastically opposite to that of the ancient grandmother. The cleavage between husband and wife has grown deeper and the creative power of children has been adversely affected.
It is true that TV. is a powerful means of communication. A single viewing of a T.V. programme can produce effects which even frequent listening to discourses and repeated readings of literary masterpieces fail to accomplish. We are interested in finding out how the T.V. functions, what kind of work is being done? Does it-conduce to a better life or worse? Does T.V. offer a new direction to man, or is it leading him astray? Is it helping children to wisely would for themselves a new life or is it turning them into duffers? There are many such questions, demanding the attention of all sensible people. One must find out if it is possible to change the direction of the T.V. culture altogether?
As it is, the T.V. culture is a culture of exploitation. It sucks the energy of its viewers, leaving them utterly hollow. It creates in their minds an unquenchable longing for acquiring ever-new means of material comfort, without showing them the way to fulfill their desire. In our age, the scientific appliances are the principal means of providing a great many amenities of life. In the production of these appliances, a tremendous amount of capital is involved, making them very costly. The youth of our country find themselves in a very tight financial condition. On the one hand, they are handicapped by the lack of resources, on the other hand they want to appear to be modern and possess the symbols of modernity. To bridge the gap between dearth and desire, they take to a life of crime. In the beginning they might feel a little bit hesitant, but soon, crime becomes an inalienable part of their life. In time it becomes a psychological necessity-the man cannot hold committing some transgression, because that is the only way he can fulfil his desires and procure for himself the necessaries of living. The degeneration caused by the T.V. culture is making man comfort- loving and selfish. A selfish person is totally preoccupied with his own happiness and cravings. Humanity and nationalism are things beyond his ken. Since the T.V. at present is making people indifferent to cultural, humane and national values, is it not time to question its usefulness? Does it not call for an honest debate?
