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This is an archive article published on April 11, 2011

The WC Vacuum

Psychologists are calling it the WC vacuum,and no,it has nothing to do with toilet flushes that don’t work.

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As Indian television slowly recovers from its feverish and over-excited coverage of the World Cup,DILIP BOBB examines what this says about our collective addiction

Psychologists are calling it the WC vacuum,and no,it has nothing to do with toilet flushes that don’t work. WC is,of course,the World Cup and the vacuum is the one that it has left in our lives,now that the marathon event is over. It’s been exhausting and exhilarating in equal measure,thanks to the eventual result,but coming down from that emotional high has been like trying to give up a hardcore addiction: the withdrawal symptoms are unusually severe. Indeed,television viewing has not been the same since. I’d almost forgotten what programmes I used to watch and when. It’s like BC and AD,Before the Cup and After,as if a brand new era has dawned without cricket to dominate our every conversation and waking moments. That is as much a comment on our collective obsession with the game as it is on the mesmerising power of television and the time,space,resources and energy that TV channels devoted to the event. For an entire month,we could set aside the stresses and strains of our personal or professional lives. Now that it’s all over,bar the Bharat Ratnas,there is a discernible sense of loss. IPL is no substitute. The nationalistic fervour,even fanaticism,that a World Cup cricket event arouses,supporting an India team,is quite unique.

I don’t know what the news channels would have done if Anna Hazare hadn’t come along,so central was cricket-related coverage to their 24×7 telecast. And consequently,to all our lives. When television becomes the prime medium of entertainment as well as the principal purveyor of news, it is unmatched because of the compelling visual spectacle it provides. Cricket was both entertainment as well as the dominant news story of the day,or the month. Consequently,the television set became the focal point of every family’s existence. Nowadays most women,especially the younger generation,have taken to the game. So what used to be an occasion for male bonding,has become genderless and attracts a wider audience. Now here’s the thing: when there were no live matches being shown,it was not ESPN/Star Sports,but the news channels which grabbed the most eyeballs.

There’s good reason for that. Indian TV news has evolved into what I call the Bollywood model: lots of drama,hysteria,emotion,background music,spectacle and hype — almost structured like a movie script. The World Cup and cricket provided a tailor-made platform to perfect that model,from the noodle-strapped female anchors,hired more for their looks than cricketing acumen,to former captains and players,soul-stirring music,token stars and celebrities and endless replays of India’s greatest moments on the field. The Hindi channels added to the dramatics,with war-like visuals and martial music,but it was ultimately Indian television’s defining moment. Rarely has one single event dominated coverage and audience participation for such a prolonged period. The jury is still out on whether television coverage was a case of overkill or not and how it would have been affected had India not made it to the finals. But cricket,as opiate for the masses,pushed TV into the role of principal drug supplier. Coming down from that high has left a void in our world,the WC vacuum,and no tear-jerking soaps or serials can make up for that.

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