Those were simpler times, happier too perhaps. There were no ‘thirteen channels of shit on the TV to choose from’! (Pink Floyd – now we have much more though!) There was just this omnipresent Doordarshan. A tribute to some of the best of Doordarshan.

Bharat Ek Khoj
Shyam Benegal managed to translate beautifully to screen a very capable book of Nehru. One of the three main triggers which resulted in my lifelong love affair with history. (The other two were my grandfather and A. L. Basham’s book “The Wonder That Was India“.)
The video of the opening track:

The audio of the closing track:

Malgudi Days
A true classic! Stories of one of my favourite Indian authors brought to life – the stories of the lives of the inhabitants of a fictional South Indian small town, Malgudi. According to R.K. Narayan, Malgudi is a town “habited by timeless characters who could be living anywhere in the world” and is located on the banks of river Sarayu and surrounded by the Mempi Hills. Who amongst us who were fans of this DD masterpiece, can ever forget the “Tananaa tana nana naa”, composed by L.Vaidyanathan?
Here is a video:

Mile Sur Mera Tumhara
And to complete this trip down the memory lane, here is the classic national integration video presented by ‘Lok Seva Sanchar Parishad’! It still brings a lump to my throat…