Antenna

 
I studied Antenna twice, once in under-grads, next time in post-grads. When I studied Antenna in under-grads there happened to be a situation of third world war, among boys and girls. There were issues of Syntax and Semantics. Boys have tendency to flick letters of words and Girls have tendency to cry on everything which  distantly or by implication induces immorality. When I studied Antenna in post-grads, I disliked the way our Professor was teaching the subject-matter; it was quite rushed, may be he had to go out for shopping with his Wife or may be he didn't want to tread into Philosophy of Antenna. But my empathy with Antennas is not just associated with these two era. It has its role in popular culture as well.
 
First in those days [of my childhood] there was immense popularity of  Television Serials like Ramayana, Mahabharata. People who were phobic towards this Western creation - called Television, had bought TV sets or they flocked in neighborhood. On Doordarshan they used to broadcast some fifty-sixty advertisements before actual program commenced. TV serials were not embellished, embedded with ads. During these advertisements women used to discuss new born babies or yet to born baby and men used to discuss that why the world was better during their forefather days. Added to it, there was this Spiritual or Dharmik [or some can call it religious] fervor that these Soap Operas provided. For the viewers, apart from Villains of  the opera, there were three major Villains - electricity [ or discharging batteries ], broadcaster's services failure [ Rukawat ke liye khed hai ] and lack of clarity in picture because of problems with Antenna. So People used to resurrect their Antennas very long. And there was this firm conception that longer is your antenna's altitude better is the viewing. This caught my attention also. However no one told us, what is the ultimate height one should go for. Or, do you need to put rods of Antenna so long that it reaches to God's place or palace; after all God himself is there in box's frame.
 
Society was not capitalist in those days. You cannot call it socialist or communist, either. Simply because there wasn't much influx of cash, nature of society was not perceived sharply. You need to get chance [or you may need to work hard or crack all nuts ] to earn; and in doing this you are scarcely concerned about moral or immoral aftereffects. This was true then and it's true even now. People were knowing in those days that who owns a Television set and who does not. And though owning a Television set could be a matter of social jealousy but Television itself helped in socialization. Part of this may be attributed to a particular soap opera, but then Television was the medium. My uncle who was doing course of Dental surgery got accolades not because he got some scholarship or treated someone, but because he got batteries for a TV set, which used to stay longer. At the same time he made sure that his Antenna's altitude is higher and higher. I being his nephew, though could not persuade my parents to get batteries; but resurrecting a higher Antenna nevertheless did not look too impossible. So now I determined to put my Antenna, - which so far was hanging miserably on first floor of building, - on the water tank which on on third floor. My rivals of that time [ the family who used to stay on second floor ] have put it on the water tank, and I could not chew this fact any more. So here was this, me yet counting on lesser side of ten, had plans to put Antenna where it should have been. But somehow my this plan [through my admirable sister and the second floor family] went into ears of my mother.
 
So my Mother knowing that water tank area is too slippery, alarmed, warned, frightened, did police to me. And the bullet was, I will tell this thing to your Father. No, don't tell this thing to Papa. Well, OK, then you have to promise. What could be the meaning of such promises ?? Alarmed, she was, she did not revealed this to my Father in front of me, but she told him somewhere sometime, in my language she conspired. This did not help changing my commitments, and on daily basis I was in search of ladder to reach up to that Water Tank. Some people around our building were able to jump to the water tank floor by just using the corners of Wall [ and at later time I also succeeded in doing so ] but this was not my aim for I have to put Antenna also, fastened with sides of Water Tank. And on one lucky day, I got ladders, put the Antenna over there, got scolded by my parents, but the fact that my decisions got vindicated made me satisfied; and there was this notion that my Antenna was at higher altitude than that of  these second floor apartment conspirators! But this did not improve image quality and they say you have to work out North-South-West-East; NSWE. Someone also stated, if there are Crows on your Antenna you will see crows inside the Box! This divided opinions of people, of course not of mine, but Antenna's positioning is important and there were news of Dish Antenna's occluding on surface. There were news of Cable TVs; and news of Internet and Mobile was subject to Science and Scientists only. Hidden somewhere in five-to-six lines of Science columns of newspapers and that too once or twice a year!
 
People now a days have good information about devices and gadgets and they use these mediums to Socialize. In contrary, Antennas became topic about which people Socialized. One created topics and medium, other just created medium. Antenna's are not harmful thing on which society should not have discussed, - but assume this thing that you got lot many mediums and you do not know what to discuss on; or suppose you know what to discuss on but the topic is too off for the medium. I find these all things quite entangled. Do we lack chutney news of Society?