Reality of (Un)reality shows ...

Fridays & Saturdays are the worst days for yours truly, for all the channels beam some talent show or the other. Some are finding Indian Idols while some are choosing Voice of India. And still others are showing their 'moves' on the dance floor. With the spate of talent shows on the horizon, the poor audience finds itself helpless among the Harshits, the Prashants & the Rakhi Sawants of this reality fever.
One look at the number of such shows will give you an estimate of the lack of taste in media these days -
Star - Nach Baliye, VOI
Sahara - Bathroom Singer, Jhoom Barabar Jhoom
Sony - Indian Idol (Thank God this is over now !! ), Bol Baby Bol, Jhalak Dikhla Ja
Zee - Saregama
Now all these beam on Fri & Sat. To top it all, in the same time slot, 8-11 pm.
Lets understand why so many shows ? Well, no points for guessing-its all because of we audiences. Since we watch them, these shows are 'manufactured' incessantly. People often get carried away by the jingoism of caste or region or some XYZ reason. An unparalleled competition to see the candidate from your region in the final round
ensues. Consequently, millions of SMSs flow the telecom highway to fill the pockets of already rich telecom service providers.
So in a nutshell, herez the recipe for a perfect silly (un)reality show -
Ingredients :-
3 months of eliminition rounds
4-5 episodes of cries & sorrow (for not getting selected in the show)
2-3 episodes of altercations among the judging community
1 round of WILD CARD entry
Lots of SPECIAL guests who come either to promote tomorrows budding stars(read as Rajveer Kapoor & Sonam Kapoor) or to promote their films.

Method :-
Mix all the ingredients above in ANY order & you get a Reality show.

End result is BIG NOTHING - people have sent SMSs, telecom service providers have made money, winners go with hefty prizes, shows get sponsors & AUDIENCE get nothing.

Mesmerizing Mysore...

Last week I had an opportunity of visiting the Sandalwood City of India - Mysore, a city having so many sobriquets to its credit (others being Silk City of India, Palace City of India). After being in Pune, Mumbai, Baroda & Goa, travelling to Mysore was a pleasant experience. The quiet, serene roads of Mysore enchant you the most. The traffic snarls observed in other cities is conspicuous by its absence in Mysore. The Mysore palace, Gumbaz - Tipu Sultan's burial place, Swaminarayan Temple, Nandi Temple, Phenomela Church, Brindavan gardens are some of the tourist attractions of this city.
It was quite a different experience to stay in the sandal wood city of India. I hope to visit Mysore some time in future with the hope that industrialization won't tarnish the serenity of this city.
Here are some of the snaps from my trip -




Mysore