For women with winning ways

AMID GREAT expectations and bated breath the first episode of `Koteeswari' was viewed on Jaya TV on September 23. The programme, exclusively for women, has got a fine slot — Sunday evenings at 8 p.m. The anchorperson, Kushboo, is a good choice. She looked very presentable and exuded friendliness. Being her first appearance for this new role she admitted she was excited as well as nervous. Kushboo enhanced her goodwill by apologising for her poor accent in Tamil right at the start of the show. Nevertheless, she expressed a desire to converse in Tamil since it was the Tamil screen that had brought her name and fame. The explanation was valid since Tamil is not her mother tongue. However, she can afford to drop a few of the several "okays" she resorts to.

The stage was set well. Thotta Tharani's simple but striking designs were good. The rules of the game were simple and clear. Displaying the questions on a screen for the viewers, is to be appreciated since occasionally the words of the compere are lost on our ears. The mikes too can play truant you know! What was homely was the introduction of the three participants. Their homes and other members of the family were seen on the screen and their hobbies and qualifications announced. In other words their introduction was quite thorough.

The episode began with a easy question: "What is November 14 celebrated as?"

"What is Lord Muruga's vahanam?" "Who was the thief turned devotee?" "Which is the first cinemascope Tamil movie... " were some of the other simple questions asked. The standard of the questions could be raised because quizzing is the order of the day and hence, the average IQ of viewers and participants is not low. There could be more variety included in the rounds of questioning such as introducing music, visual and riddles rounds. The riddle on the tortoise, for instance, could have been placed in a riddles round instead of being clubbed in the general knowledge round.

As for the other comments, the title tune could be a little catchier. There are too many checks in the form of innumerable commercials. It is tiresome to sit through an endless stream of spots every quarter of an hour.

Will not two or three major sponsors suffice? A preliminary screening can be done so that participants of uniform standard are clubbed together and the competitions will be keen. There was a question on the acid constituent of tamarind. There were expressions of surprise that though the participant was a woman she did not know the answer. For, is it not an age-old ideal that women should know cooking and consequently know what tamarind contains?

At the end of it no `Koteeswari' was "evolved". The prize money won was a mere Rs.20, 000. The programme is not anything commendably novel since it is the third in the trail. Being not the first of its kind the producers have to work extra hard since the market is ever competitive! Anyway their aim is very laudable since, as the compere claimed, it is to enable quick thinking.

I am thankful we are outside the purview of Austin O' Malley who said: "An Englishman thinks seated, a Frenchman standing, an American pacing, an Irishman, afterward."

THARA MOHAN RAO

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