Three things are inevitable in this world. They are death, taxes and advertisements. All three are inevitable and groan or grin and bear with them, they can’t be avoided. It is time we added one more thing to that list. The new entry – the half an hour torture on the television that is called Telebrands.
These programmes are unleashed on unsuspecting viewers. The programme treats the viewers as imbeciles. The same sales talk is repeated without a break. The original programme is made either in a western country or in Hindi. The programme is dubbed into telugu or into Hindi. It is painfully funny to hear a full blooded American talk in Hindi or shudh (pure) telugu. Some of the products that are advertised as Telebrands include
1.
A dent removing instrument
2. A device that makes you lose weight while the wearer is sleeping
3. Sauna belts
4. Green tea that can make one lose weight
5. Arthritis reducing device
6. All types of lucky stones and trinkets
7. Slicers, dicers and other kitchen appliances
8. Deflatable sofa cum bed
9. A hair sprayer (a product that literally sprays hair on bald spots)
10. Magical hair growers using herbal hair oils
11. All types of corsets or shapers that can magically take off inches within minutes
12. Exercise machines like elliptical rotators
13. Weight trainers that give a muscled body without painful exercises
Most of these products pry on our hidden fears and insecurities. Most of us want to have wavy glossy hair, well sculptured bodies, a terrific athletic figure. The home makers want their dull chores to be finished off in a jiffy. Arthritis a live changing disease is a disease of frightening magnitude. But Telebrands trivializes the disease. There is a programme that trivializes the disease. Just for Rs 7999/- one can get a instrument that not only makes walker easier by shifting weight from the knee to below the knee (god only knows what they mean). It also claims that the wearer will very soon magically get their disfigured knees magically back into shape all at the cost of Rs 15,000/-. And to think that regular knee replacement surgery cost up to Rs 10, 00,000/-!
The glibness of the programme is shocking. There is no mention of any doctor. Not even a family doctor. The programme talks about complex measurements as if they are telling the viewers as how to make tea at home. There is no agency watching these programmes and wetting the veracity of the claims these progammes are making. It is frightening even to fathom the effect these programmes must be having on our gullible ill-informed viewers. Most of us can snicker and say that viewers are very smart. But I doubt it. A simple search on the Google opened my eyes wide open.
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