Surviving without TV-and we did it !!!!!!!

This post would mean to be an  ordinary thing if I had written it some 15-20 years back.But nowadays with the growth of technology, I feel TV is no longer any luxury,but a basic necessity.I survived without TV during my childhood days, but after we bought TV in our house it had become an integral part of  our family.I would say it was one of  our family member.I used to study,eat,dose off when TV was switched on. Arshi is too addicted to this TV.Everything was going well till one day when our TV suddenly stopped working.There was power trip when Arshi switched on TV and my hubby had  to get the power back.He declared the TV as dead.So this is the story of  why we had  to survive without TV as my hubby had planned  to buy it after a few months.I am trying to blog  about how we are dealing life without TV till we bought a   new one .I am trying to see if  this changes  any lifestyle  pattern for us in a period of time.

Week 1(3 rd week of Oct 2013):
We were very depressed.As we were habituated,we were looking at the TV screen with pity.I was trying for some alternative.I spent time browsing and watching some TV programs through catch up TV on net.This was also a  period were I should say, we got  back to listening to our local radio.Within days radio has become a  part of  our lives now. Arshi tried to adapt to the changes in a  good way unlike other kids who would rebel till they get their new TV set.We also spent time reading more from the books we had borrowed from the library.So I will say,

-increased usage of internet
-increased usage of radio
-increased reading habit
-occasional visits to playground increased

Though we had looked for alternatives, we were still missing TV.Lets see if our perception changes during our week 2.The coming week is going to be  challenging one as my hubby would be out of  town and Arshi will be back to school and  she also has her tests.She usually relaxes in between her studies by watching TV. .
Week 2 onwards:

We were depressed.But we were getting used to it.We were eagerly looking forward to buy a  new one and were searching for cheap offers and sales around us.
To make matters worse suddenly our laptop too got repaired and we were left without TV and laptop.Just imagine what would have been our state of  mind.I couldn't watch TV , browse net.We were spending more time in playground  and reading books.books. Deepavali was fast coming and we were left with only Oli, our local Singapore Tamil radio station. Arshi got addicted to most of the film songs by hearing them repeatedly in radio.I should only we survived.

At last after almost 2  months we bought our new TV(1 st week of Dec 2013) and now I can see lot of  changes in our new lifestyle. Arshi has stopped reading books  or  I can rather say she has slowed down on her reading.Now as I am blogging, Arshi is still watching her favouriteTV show.

We will miss our old TV set which still remains me of our old generation TV sets.I seldom find these sets any more in shops.

Our TV stand ???????Novel idea .....(We tend to get innovative when we are short of things right....)

Our TV in its TV stand.....

After our TV stand got injured(thanks to Arshi-read below to find out how?), TV found its new place in the floor

 

TV has always been part of our lives....

I still remember how our first TV stand broke off.If you notice, that one was on support of wheels. Arshi would always play on the TV stand and one day TV stand lost its balance  and  TV fell on top of Arshi. Luckily, she wasn't hurt and TV was intact too.I feared that TV would have broken, but it didn't. But the TV stand got damaged and so, we had to keep TV in a  safe place which Arshi didn't disturb and so, it found its place in floor before landing itself in the new TV stand.

So this  stand replaced our previous stand

Watching TV is part of her life as you can see her with her homework  and sitting in front of TV

LED TV sets have taken its place now.The new TV set may look slim, but we still love our old TV set which lays in corner of  our room to be disposed off when writing this blog.

Man is accustomed to certain lifestyle and when he is forced to forgo , then he adjusts and  when he get back what he has lost, he enjoys and savors it a  lot.We survived without TV for 2  months and I still feel, I should try to keep Arshi occupied with her books, frequent visits to playground,listening to radio and at the same time watch TV rather than being  a couch potato.

Navrathri 2013

Navrathri falls during the month of Sep-Oct and is celebrated by Hindus all over the world in praise of the almighty Goddess.Some South Indians have the habit of keeping Golu-display of usually clay dolls and toys(usually Gods) in an odd number order(usually 3-9 or 11 steps) in their house for 9 days. They invite friends and relatives and are offered kumkum to the ladies who come to attend the poojai and also offer Sundal as prasadam to those who come.North Indians have Dussera, Dhandiya, where they will dance and pray to Durga matha.Girl Children are given importance throughout these 9 days.Good to hear right.Girls are dressed in beautiful silk dresses and some children even dress up as gods during these days.I remember dressing up Arshi as Lord Krishnar once and as Radha once.This year I sticked on to the traditional South Indian dress for girls-"Pattupavadai " - a silk long gown for the period and will try to show  a few pics of  her during these days  for you all to view.

I have been keeping Golu in my own way all these years and will try to continue with the rich tradition.Though I don't have clay dolls of  Gods and Goddesses, I try to keep the toys I have in an odd number pattern.My mother buys me a  small statute every time I go to India for this sake and I add them in the upcoming Golu. There is a  belief that we should buy new Golu dolls every year.Usually, the Gods are placed in the top steps-padis whereas the animals,humans,non-living things will come in the lower steps.I try to follow all these instructions as much as I can. This year the Navrathri was from 12-19 th October.I had my own 5 padi (step) Golu,went to a  few houses that had Golu celebrations and invited  a few friends to my house too(hope I had invited many). I will be touring you people to my Golu as well as to some of the Golus I have been these days  and  Let's see some pictures from my Navrathri Golu 2013 album.

My simple Golu

Forest

playground

all of these were made by myself

Kolam and all these colours are natural made, using turmeric powder,kumkums

 After my Golu, let us take a  look at the places I visited during golu.

Kavitha's Golu

kids are enjoying

Arshi with Kavitha's afmily

My friend Revathi's Golu

 I really loved Kamakshi's Golu.It made me feel as if I was in India itself.It looked so traditional and yet so beautiful.

Kamakshi's Golu

I also went to Lakshmi's house and was greeted to this beautiful Ganapathy.They didn't have Golu but did pooja all the nine days for the Goddess.

Navarthri is an occasion where we get to meet your friends and we tend to dress our self as well as our kids traditionally.

Praveena's Golu

 Temples too have Navrathri celebrations and they have an elaborate Golu with mythological themes.

Sengkang Gyana Muneeswarar Temple's Golu

Simple yet beautiful golu of Toa Payoh Vairavimada Kaliamman Kovil''s Navrathri alankaram

Changi ramar temple's Golu 

Little India was flooded with traditional Golu dolls.But they were too expensive.I just took a  look before heading back home.Arshi loved the dolls very much.

 This year Arshi's music class had arranged the kids to perform in 2 temples -Sengkang Gyana Muneeswarar Temple and Toa Payoh's Sri Vairavimada temple and Arshi sang in these temples for the first time.It is considered auspicious to perform in temples during Navrathri.I felt blessed to see my daughter sing before the audience without fear that too in a  temple.

Arshi's performance at Toa Payoh's Vairavimada kovil

at Sengkang temple

Navrathri ends on Saraswathi Pooja when we keep our books in prayer. Goddess Saraswathi will bless us .

A good time of the year where we can teach our younger generations of its significance.