While browsing through channels after iftar yesterday, I realised that my TV screen had been taken over by multiple Ramazan transmissions airing on different channels. Although the ‘shows’ have been airing questionable content for some time now, but for past few years they seemed to have taken it up a notch.
Gone are the days when the onset of the blessed month of Ramzan meant an unexplainable excitement within everyone's heart, an air of kindness all around the world and the expectations of peace all over. I have memories, vague however, of how the month of Ramzan was spent when I was a kid - the 90's precisely.It used to be all about making an effort to get closer to Allah, making the most of the month with ample amounts of prayers and acts of charity, to please The Lord. Everyone would be seen putting their all into being a better person and bringing happiness to each others' faces. Never was it about this holier-than-thou attitude or Muslims disgracing other Muslims for trying to be better people.
I don't understand when and how everything went wrong. When exactly did this curse of 'trendy' Ramzan transmissions befall upon us? Every channel now airs a 'Ramzan Special,' which honestly looks more like a race for the highest ratings. Multiple shows are aired, most of which are a disgrace, where men sing and dance and women slam their faces into a tray full of powder, all for a few goodies' sake. The audience laughs, everyone enjoys, a gift is received and the show goes on.
These transmissions start before iftar, continue during and go on way past iftar time! But it is after iftar that the quiz-show begins (a modern day version of Neelam Ghar but is not nearly as good). Here I must say that at this point along with the hosts, even the audience exhibits extremely uncouth behaviour. To win a mobile phone or a designer lawn dress, the men and women both try to up the other in acting in the most ridiculous manner possible; self-respect, dignity, modesty, humbleness, and all other Islamic teachings, go out the window when it comes to winning a mere bottle of Rooh Afza.
I believe it always takes two to run a show (quite literally here). If they air it, we watch it. If they sell tickets for audiences, we buy them. If they ask us to sing a song to win a bike, not only do we sing it but we also dance. Because well, the bike.
I, for one, miss quite terribly the peaceful and happy aura that this month used to bring with itself.
If nothing, the maximum we can do is hold our morals,the teachings by our parents and grand parents, dignity and integrity strong, and not give into this mafia which is forcing people to forget the true essence of Ramzan, and dragging them towards this pitfall of materialism, cheap entertainment and the worst form of distraction.