ninavu online magazine from cet alumni in UAE

It rots the senses in the head!
It kills the imagination dead!
It clogs and clutters up the mind!
It makes a child so dull and blind.
His brain becomes as soft as cheese!
His powers of thinking rust and freeze!

This is a passage from the famous book Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, by
Roal Dahl. Can you tell me what am I talking about ? It is nothing other than
Television. But does anyone think it is correct?

The role of Television has always been and will be a controversial subject, as long as humanity exists.
Though Television has become a member of the of the majority of families , across the globe, some still
call it the idiot's box , while some others consider it as the essential "window into the world".
How many think that Television is not an essential part of your daily life ? or Can anyone of you think of
staying in a place without T.V at all? I am sure the undisputed answer will be an emphatic "No". Good
Entertainment and Cultural Programs relieves us from stress and frustration . Television provides us with a
wealth of information. It allows us to 'visit' other parts of the world and view their tradition and culture,
capture the excitement and beauty of the animal kingdom, and amuse ourselves with a host of fun filled
activities and exciting venues.

Television serves as a 'window to the world' to keep us
abreast of all the global developments whether it is political,
social, scientific or entertainment fields. Educational
programs through T.V helps children develop their learning
and listening skills.

We are taken to any corner of the world where Olympics or World Cup or any game of our interest is
being played. We are taught how a particular dish is cooked, or how a particular disease can be
prevented or cured, or how our houses can be decorated without spending much money. Thus
Television can entertain, inform, inspire and provide company and communication for everyone who
chooses to watch it.

But on the other hand, if we remain glued to our seats watching this
one-eyed monster we don't pay attention to our guests in the room, or
turn a deaf ear to our mother's call. Often our food is left uneaten and
home work undone. Wont it spoil us ?
Do you know that children who consistently spend more time watching
TV are more likely to be inactive and obese?". Is not the spectacles of
children mainly the gift of T.V ?. Yes these are findings of researches

Excessive T.V. watching means our time for exercising, reading, or socializing gets reduced.
Television programs even have the power to influence a child's entire daily schedule. "They want to go
to school "after Huckleberry Finn, or " eat a TV lunch " with Tom and Jerry ," and go to bed "after
Charlie's Angels," I have the habit of timing my lunch to see my favourite programs in e-junior channel .
The children who used to hear stories from their mothers and grandmothers , now like to see
cartoons, instead.

After watching hours and hours of television
imagery, the "Beautiful People" who appear in the
shows will become burned into our mind, influence
your character and possibly even displace the
great men who were once our role models . This
may lead to warping of the human mind, and even
of erosion of moral values, traditions and culture.

Let me conclude my article by reminding you that "watching television in a structured way in terms of both
Choice of program as well as the allocation of right amount of time" will only stimulate and educate viewers .
So T.V. is not a curse, but the judgement of the user is what matters most.