Earlier last year, around March, when I moved house, I didn’t have a television set. My previous owner had one at the flat which I put to good use. When I moved I didn’t immediately buy one and it wasn’t a conscious decision at first, but then I decided that I’d try living without a TV for a while.

A few months have passed since (March : December) and I realised I’ve managed ‘une vie sans le télé’ for more than 10 months. These are some of my observations.

Television actually creeps into your life very surreptitiously and before you know it, you land up designing your life around it. And I didn’t quite like it. I also didn’t like the fact that on some nights, with nothing to do (or I should say, for the lack of a better alternative) it was just easier to slump in front of the TV changing channels till I dozed off : a rather zombie-like existence. I wasn’t quite happy with the amount of control it exerted.

Life without TV actually has been pretty good. I’ve missed my favourite shows and some nice programs but with time, I’ve now learnt to live without it. If I really want to watch some program, I gate crash at a friend’s place : it’s not only a great way to catch up, you also can also most probably also get invited to a meal (Aqua/G: I hope you folks are not reading this 🙂

Interestingly, I’ve actually started noticing people watching TV : a rather blanked out expression, with eyes glazed to the screen : and oblivious to everything else. In fact, whenever I come across those large screens in movie halls and food courts, I stare at it for a while like someone’s who’s come from a small town and hasn’t ever seen a screen of that size!

I’ve begun to notice the amount of television people watch : many people just leave it one to fill the silence, which is rather unfortunate because I’d rather have silence. Some people might ask, ‘how can you live without knowing what’s happening in the world’? Actually, I’ve realised I can. I no longer have the urge to check out every television channel to check out the latest. At the most, I read the paper and check out the news online. That urge to be informed every second with the latest news has dimmed over time. It’s probably good I moved out of journalism, since I wouldn’t have survived for long with this attitude!

I use my evenings more productively, or at least I’d like to think so. I’ve enjoyed going for different classes over the last few months and they fills up my evenings. If I had TV, I’d probably rush back to watch my favourite serial. For a change, I get out of the house in the evenings and try and go for a class or catch up with a friend, get some fresh air or do something different.

I’d like to however say that I have absolutely nothing against watching TV. I think it makes for good entertainment and time pass. And I absolutely plan to have a very large screen television in my house. But the time has not yet come 🙂