TV buffs instinctively notice a stark phenomenon when politicians and celebrities answer media persons’ queries: in the background, some commoners are always jostling to appear on TV. Why not? After all, aren’t we all sick and tired of watching only the self-styled VIPs?

Honest-looking people on TV could definitely provide some solace at a time when fly-by-night smart alecs reign supreme in the visual media. Noel Coward offers a wise bon mot in this regard: “Television is something you appear on. You don’t watch it!” Yet, despite the swarming TV channels and shows, only a ‘lucky’ few appear on them. And the rest, the envious millions, are drawn to the cheap antics of self-hailed stars like complete idiots.

It’s a mere truism to mention that watching TV has become one of the least expensive pastimes, and the most widely performed activity, simultaneously and by hundreds of millions. So much so that people, without a second thought, say their favourite pastime is watching TV. Happily, TV viewing requires no big effort, money, toil, perseverance and brain. Lie back on your cosy sofa, chill out and keep zapping! After all, even children can do that as easily as the grown-ups. With the deluge of cheap Chinese goods invading the markets, having a TV set has almost become akin to possessing a sofa or a soap. Buy the latest brand of TV and the vendor will likely throw in a VCR or a DVD player as freebies to enhance visual experience.

Conversely, what about appearing — a hero, preferably — on the goggle box? A Herculean task, one can safely say. Appearing on TV, unlike watching, requires hard word, attention, focus, perseverance, toil and sw-eat. Nonetheless, ever since the advent of television, man has preferred ‘appearing’ on it to ‘watching’ it. It’s not probably unusual for a football fan to wool-gather and put himself in the place of David Beckham, instead of watching him bedazzle millions with his foot skills. And any black-eyed Nepali beauty queen might as easily indulge in a fantasy of replacing the green-eyed Aishwarya Rai in the latest Bollywood blockbuster. Finally, admitted that all of us might not merit an appearance on TV; nevertheless, appearing, at all times, implies so much more than plain watching, doesn’t it?