I have made it a practice to view Television programs almost the whole time I am available at home. Since I have retired from service and have no other work to do, I depend mainly on newspapers and TV set to kill my time.Though my better half is not happy with that, to avoid personal confrontation, she let me go my way at home only.
Whenever I opened my TV, the first thing I can see mostly will be an advertisement that of a company or product sponsoring that particular program, Sharply after five minute's program, the telecast of advertisements will start again which will last for nearly ten minutes. So for every 5 minutes TV programme, we are bound to view 10 minutes advertisements. Hence a 30 minute serial or any other programme needs only a 10 minute script in total which will reduce the burden of scriptwriters for mega serials. Some of the programmes will have more than one sponsor and the channewaaalas will cleverly satisfy all with the following comments before their advertisements. The first one will be "This programme is sponsored by...". Next it will be like "presented by ... celebrated by ..." and if more, then "in association with.." Hence the channelwaalas are safe that they need only a quarter page dialogue for the entire 30 minute programme.
Even though channelwaalas compete with each other to get the rankings bettered, they are all unique when it comes to advertisements. If a programme starts at 7, all the channelwaalas will go for an advertisement at 07:05 upto 07:15. You can try any of the 20 to 25 channels available in your vernacular and see this rule is strictly followed irrespective of the difference between channelwaalas.
Sponsorship has caught up with almost all celebrations and functions. Prizes are sponsored, the dais and decoration for the functions are sponsored, food and water for the participants sponsored, why not to say, even men and women are sponsored to attend meetings and rallies.
Recently I could hear a Neta of a party boasting about the conduct of a meeting. He was sure that not less than 500 people would attend his party's meeting from his place, since the whole expenses of transportation, food water and pocket money for each, have been sponsored by a giant shark.
Nowadays anything and everything is sponsored. This sponsorship is actually not to help the needy or the poor. It is only to show the snobbery of the people around.
Of late, this sponsorship phenomenon has plagued temple festivals also. I could see a Big Board in front of a temple, where a temple function was about to take place. The board exhibited particulars in whatever areas you can have sponsorship and the rate for each item. Right from the elephants for the procession upto the regular poojas inside the temple you can sponsor anything. The notice informing the celebrations was in the form of a non-detailed text book prescribed for tenth standard students with all the names of the sponsors with their respective choice of sponsored items.
" Then why did you collect money for the festival when elephants, vadhyam, fireworks, catering etc etc were all sponsored by individuals " I quipped one of the organisers. The answer was a big silence. Recently I witnessed a car festival [Ther Thiruvizha]. The entire route, the cart was to be drawn, were decorated with Flex boards of a Jewellery Mart, they being the sponsors of that festival. I fear even the cart may be decorated with such boards in due course.
Why such a mad rush for this sponsorship. Is this merely an advertisement for the company or individual? If so, why they are spending so much on this?. I think this is utter snoberry. If you have so much money to spend, why couldn't you sponsor food, shelter and clothing to the needy? Why couldn't you educate some eligible students from poor families? Fail not me to take off my hats to those who are already on such missions.
There is a saying in Malayalam that " Whatever is given by the right hand, the left hand should not be aware of that". Alas! here whatever is sponsored by you, the entire world is made to know about that through advertisements in print and electronic media as well as through Flex Boards.
What a Humility?
Whenever I opened my TV, the first thing I can see mostly will be an advertisement that of a company or product sponsoring that particular program, Sharply after five minute's program, the telecast of advertisements will start again which will last for nearly ten minutes. So for every 5 minutes TV programme, we are bound to view 10 minutes advertisements. Hence a 30 minute serial or any other programme needs only a 10 minute script in total which will reduce the burden of scriptwriters for mega serials. Some of the programmes will have more than one sponsor and the channewaaalas will cleverly satisfy all with the following comments before their advertisements. The first one will be "This programme is sponsored by...". Next it will be like "presented by ... celebrated by ..." and if more, then "in association with.." Hence the channelwaalas are safe that they need only a quarter page dialogue for the entire 30 minute programme.
Even though channelwaalas compete with each other to get the rankings bettered, they are all unique when it comes to advertisements. If a programme starts at 7, all the channelwaalas will go for an advertisement at 07:05 upto 07:15. You can try any of the 20 to 25 channels available in your vernacular and see this rule is strictly followed irrespective of the difference between channelwaalas.
Sponsorship has caught up with almost all celebrations and functions. Prizes are sponsored, the dais and decoration for the functions are sponsored, food and water for the participants sponsored, why not to say, even men and women are sponsored to attend meetings and rallies.
Recently I could hear a Neta of a party boasting about the conduct of a meeting. He was sure that not less than 500 people would attend his party's meeting from his place, since the whole expenses of transportation, food water and pocket money for each, have been sponsored by a giant shark.
Nowadays anything and everything is sponsored. This sponsorship is actually not to help the needy or the poor. It is only to show the snobbery of the people around.
Of late, this sponsorship phenomenon has plagued temple festivals also. I could see a Big Board in front of a temple, where a temple function was about to take place. The board exhibited particulars in whatever areas you can have sponsorship and the rate for each item. Right from the elephants for the procession upto the regular poojas inside the temple you can sponsor anything. The notice informing the celebrations was in the form of a non-detailed text book prescribed for tenth standard students with all the names of the sponsors with their respective choice of sponsored items.
" Then why did you collect money for the festival when elephants, vadhyam, fireworks, catering etc etc were all sponsored by individuals " I quipped one of the organisers. The answer was a big silence. Recently I witnessed a car festival [Ther Thiruvizha]. The entire route, the cart was to be drawn, were decorated with Flex boards of a Jewellery Mart, they being the sponsors of that festival. I fear even the cart may be decorated with such boards in due course.
Why such a mad rush for this sponsorship. Is this merely an advertisement for the company or individual? If so, why they are spending so much on this?. I think this is utter snoberry. If you have so much money to spend, why couldn't you sponsor food, shelter and clothing to the needy? Why couldn't you educate some eligible students from poor families? Fail not me to take off my hats to those who are already on such missions.
There is a saying in Malayalam that " Whatever is given by the right hand, the left hand should not be aware of that". Alas! here whatever is sponsored by you, the entire world is made to know about that through advertisements in print and electronic media as well as through Flex Boards.
What a Humility?
Definitely an eye opener. And something to think about seriously.
ReplyDeleteHope this to be read by some of the gentle men craving for attention in our society through so called donations and realise the great blunder they do every time sponsor in the name of god .
ReplyDelete