TRP or TeaRP

That, Bad News is Good News for the media is old news.TRP from tears is the new mantra (well, not so new since reality shows have been on Indian television for over 2 years now)for the media.Reality shows on television are scripted to stimulate tear glands.For contestants, tears result in votes.For the producers, it results in banknotes and for the advertiser the TRP bloats.

Take Amul Star of India.The judges provoked the contestants to cry using less than refined comments on the their ability to sing.Contestants cried even when not provoked by the judges - hoping to get sympathy votes. In Fame Gurukul,Ruprekha Banerjee sang well and cried better - giving her an edge over Rex DSouza who sang much better but cried badly ie.could not cry at all.

Consider Amul Chote Ustad.Mummies did not leave the difficult job, of shedding tears for votes, to their wards.They took on this onerous tasks on themselves lest their wards did not do the job well.Of course the daddies left the job of talking through tears to their wives - women are much better at multi-tasking - or for that matter at just about everything else (except driving!).

The more unrehearsed the tears the better it is for the program rating.Take Naya Roop Nayi Zindagi on Sony TV. In the first edition on May 1,2008 the Ghaziabad girl's makeover was stunning and her tears even more. These real tears, I am sure, will get the program a good start ( a sidenote :it appears that her eyesight was corrected thru Lasik during the course of the makeover. I wonder if someone explained to her the potential hazards of Lasik).

In K for Kishore,Arnab Chakraborty was accused by another contestant of trying to influence the judges using his lacrimal glands rather than his vocal chords.Of course,Arnab does a fine balancing act using both.

Ekta Kapoor cranked up TRP's with glycerine.Now, producers are saying " look mama, no glycerine"