Television - bane or boon?

In Class 9, we were asked to write a composition on the topic of television - whether it was a boon or a bane.  As I remember, at that time, I could think of only the benefits of having and watching television, especially since  we didn't have a TV at home till I was in Class 7.

Our neighbour was the first person who bought a TV in our locality  - they had a Bush TV- black and white model which itself was a big thing then. We would all - my brothers and I, and other friends in the neighbourhood- climb over the compound wall, enter their house through the rear door and sit and watch TV in their house for hours together.  Their living room would be filled with people -sitting on the sofa (balcony seats that we rarely got), the side bench (sometimes)  and the floor (most often) and all eyes glued to the TV set.  Suddenly, and frequently, there would be cursing and heavy sighing when the transmission was interrupted and  Doordarshan posted any of the following signs -  "Sorry for the interruption" or "Adechanegaagi kshamisi" or "Rukavat ke liye khed hain" depending on the programme we were watching.  Sometimes, we would end up watching the above sign(s) for even 20 -30 minutes, cursing the "Television guy" all the while and hoping and praying for the programme to resume.  Now I really wonder how we managed to sit through patiently - I guess it was better than having to come back home and study! 

When we bought our first TV - Solidaire colour TV - my happiness knew no bounds.  I would sit and watch any programme that was being telecast -even the one that was meant for farmers! 

Now, the tables have turned. With my girls always glued to the TV sets, I can only think of the TV as a bane.  Even now, as I am writing this, I can hear my younger daughter watching Chhota Bheem while her older sister is silently devouring all the dishes being served by the Master Chefs in Australia!  Controlling their TV time is my number one activity. And ofcourse, as is universally seen and accepted, when the cat is away, the mice will play!  So it's time for me to ring the bell so my girls know that the cat is still around!

The past tense is perfect!

English, as a language, can be bewildering to a 4 year old, I guess. But kids seem to find a way to master this language easily, - in their own, uncomplicated way!

The case in point is my younger daughter who will turn 5 next month. As a 2-year old, she did not know a word of English. When we visited her cousins in the US who spoke mostly accented English, she was left speechless (literally!). But not for long...within a couple of weeks, she picked up the language and much to our amazement, she was able to have a conversation with her cousins!

Now, over the last couple of years, her vocabulary has improved considerably. (when I was her age, I didn't know even a quarter of what she knows now!) She has coined new words to address the past tense of certain verbs - actually, the way she puts it makes more sense.
Put becomes "putten", (I have putten all the toys inside), cut turns into "cutted" (She cutted the cake), bite turns into "bited" (Oh, I bited my tongue), buy becomes 'buyed' (She tells her sister sternly - don't touch this box, Appa buyed it for me!). By the same logic, see does not become "seed " but becomes "sawed". ("Did you see the book?", I ask her. She replies, "Yes, I sawed it".)

One of her hilarious constructs was when she hit a mosquito, and then she told her sister proudly "Akka, I died off the mosquito!"

Hopefully, when she reads this at some point, she will take it in the right spirit - I don't want to be "hitted" by her!