My mom used to love watching Tamil movies and Hindi serials. I think it was around the time I was in 3rd grade when we first got a cable connection at home. It was a big change back then. Zee TV had just become popular, and it quickly became a favorite channel in our household. My mom was especially fond of the serials that aired there.
But no matter how much she enjoyed her shows, she never let them interfere with her responsibilities, especially when it came to me. She made sure I completed my homework and studied every single day before the TV came on. She was the most organized and punctual person I have ever known. Everything in our home ran like clockwork, from meals to cleaning to bedtime routines.
Cleanliness was something she truly valued. She always finished her cooking and household chores on time and served dinner promptly. I had to be in bed by 8:30 PM, no matter what. Dinner for me was at 7:30 PM, so I could wind down in time. My parents and older brother ate later. My brother had the afternoon shift at school, so he stayed up later and woke up late. But I had to wake up early by 5:45 AM right after my parents.
Interestingly, the serials my mom loved aired right around dinner time, usually at 7:30 PM. Each day featured a different show and episodes continued on the same day the following week. So if Monday’s episode ended on a cliffhanger, we had to wait until next Monday to find out what happened next. I still remember a few of them. Tara and The Zee Horror Show were her absolute favorites.
On some days, instead of serials, there would be shows like Antakshari, Khana Khazana, and Tol Mol Ke Bol. Being an amazing cook, my mom loved watching cookery shows too. And though she enjoyed TV, she rarely watched for more than an hour a day unless it was a weekend movie, which we usually watched together as a family.
There was one exception though — horror movies. My mom never let me watch them. She knew how easily scared I was. Naturally, Zee Horror Show was off-limits for me.
I also remember being strangely fascinated by the Essel World advertisement. Back then, water theme parks seemed like magical places. I used to watch that ad wide-eyed, imagining it was a real-life wonderland.
And here's a funny memory. I still recall being totally charmed by Madhavan’s smile in Banegi Apni Baat. Was it a third-grade crush? Maybe. I’m not sure. But I definitely found him fascinating at the time!
One thing that always amazed me was how well my mom spoke Hindi. Born and brought up in an orthodox Hindu family in Kerala, it made me wonder where her love for Hindi and Tamil entertainment came from. She seemed to carry those languages effortlessly, just like everything else she did, with quiet confidence and grace.
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