RIP Satish Sah

 My first introduction to Television was on November 19, 1982 when I saw the electronic device for the first time in my life in my 9th Grade (Class IX as it was called those days). The occasion was inauguration of Asiad 82, the Asian Games held in India's capital New Delhi. In my alma mater D.M. School in Bhubaneswar a new color Television of brand Konark TV was installed in the school library. The afternoon classes were suspended and the school bus supposed to carry us back home was delayed to enable the students to take a glimpse of the inauguration ceremony.

During the first ever transmission of the TV in Bhubaneswar in form of the Asian Games we were glued to a new gadget called Television which neither we nor any one from our 14 generations ever saw with our eyes, ears and mouth wide open. The telecast was hazy with frequent loss of signal with "Appu", the baby elephant mascot of the Games stepping forward holding a placard proudly proclaiming "RUKAWAT KE LIYE KHED HAI" (Sorry for the interruption). We, spellbound students clapped with enthusiasm as Indira Gandhi, the then Prime Minister of India who would be assassinated less than couple of years later inaguated the games. But more clapping was reserved for the actor Amitabh Bachchan, the one man Bollywood industry of the time. No sooner the camera captured him live than the entire library erupted with excitement as we saw our favorite star live in any form outside movie theatres for the first time in our lives.

I sneaked in our neighborhoods to watch cricket matches and "Chitrahaar", a collection of Hindi songs from Bollywood movie industry until couple of months later my dad bought us a Black and White "Rohini Delux" TV with an an extra feature of blue screen attached to make the images look spicier. As the sky cleared in month of March, 1983 and starry, windy nights adored the crispy dark skies of Bhubaneswar, I tuned on to faraway Dhaka TV which aired the latest American movies. The experience was unreal. However I missed the color transmission. My dad could have easily afforded a Color TV at that time, but our plea for one fell into his deaf years. He summarily dismissed my request with a sarcastic tone - "Will you see two Amitabh Bachchans or two Kapil Devs on Color TV" ? Focus on your academics. Many those days believed that youngsters would become a "CHHATARA" (Girl chasing vagabond) or a "BAZAARI" (Free roaming loafer) with exposure to Television. A few from our generation eventually became CHHATARA or BAZAARI, but TV had nothing to do with it.

My father hardly watched any TV as most evenings he was busy tutoring students Physics at our home. But his great sense of humor made him to take breaks from tutoring students to watch comedian Satish Sah in the TV serial "YEH JO HAI ZINDAGI" which aired on Prime Time twice a weak. It was an outstanding family oriented comedy soap opera series directed perfectly towards the middle class milieu with Satish Sah being the central character who would make you laugh till your stomach hurt. Next day in college we talked a lot about the actor, some of us trying to recollect his dialogs trying to emulate him. Those were the days of limited entertainment sans internet and social media, when color TV used to be luxury.

Satish Saha soon moved to Bollywood, but never could replicate his fame on TV. He passed away today at the age of 74 after battling kidney ailments. RIP the first Comedian on TV who left his indelible mark in me. Om 🕉 Shanti.