Yesterday, I finally watched India’s favorite reality show ‘Indian Idol’. In spite of the fact that the show on itself was watchable, it left me with mixed feelings.

It

could have better had there been no coverage of those emotional moments of the participants. It could have been better had there not been those dramatic moments before announcing the results.

This show like ‘The Oprah Winfrey Show’, or any other people oriented show, survives only by using manipulating people.

I first thought that it was okay, as it was a reality show. But some where in the middle, I realized that the emotions of the participants are being exploited.

It’s obvious that the participants are all talented lots, who sure are those famous people among their circle of friends.

They all probably got carried by encouraging words of friends and family members that they had turned up in this show that promised an opportunity to make it big.

And this show does keep up its promise. It is big enough that thousands of talented youngsters are ready to give it a try.

Any body is bound to be a slightly agitated during the course of a competition. It’s natural to see a person cry when the results are announced.

Attending an audition and being rejected is a very bad thing, but making a fool of oneself in front of the National Television audience is worse than that.

It is true that the results of any kind of competition are bound to be bitter. After all there can only be one overall winner.

It could have been better had the organizers called those who had not been selected to a separate room to announce the results and had given them advice on not to loose hope.

But all the show does is to make the announcing of results more dramatic that even the winners cry. It is being done in a way which is cruel to the losers.

The gimmicks that the producers of the shows employ, the dramatic effect they try to bring in are all too much.

I felt sorry for those talented youngsters standing there with lot of dreams and hope in their hearts.

It is sad that their honest attempts would come to the easy criticism and comments passed by the Television audience who watch the show for entertainment.

Even my friends do that. Their immature prejudiced opinions ridicule the life dreams of those participants.

Some of my friends said that they had voted for ‘Abhijeet Sawant’ only because he had a ‘cute smile’.

Thank God that the audience votes are not considered in the first round.