Visiting grandpa via Gadgil’s reel venture

GRANDPA SPEAKS: Gadgil conducting one of his sessions. PUNE, June 3: ``Show your child his grandparents!' runs the latest business propos...

GRANDPA SPEAKS: Gadgil conducting one of his sessions.

PUNE, June 3: “Show your child his grandparents!’ runs the latest business proposal from noted compere and television personality Sudhir Gadgil that has struck an instant chord with more Indian families abroad. The idea? A day with the old folks here, packaged into an hour-long video cassette for the children and grandchildren pining away for that slice of life.

Conducted personally by Gadgil, known for his gift of the gab, the cassettes are a long-distance version of family reunions as the tape films the daily routine of grandpas and grandmas from 6 am to 10 pm, with some inspired heart-to-heart chats with Gadgil. The idea has been such a hit that six months into the launch of his `service’ with a price tag, Gadgil has his hands full with a clientele of over 30 families.

States Gadgil, “On my trip abroad, I found that many couples had not seen their parents for years and their children did not even know what their grandparents looked like. Why not help them get back to their roots without having to leave their adopted country, I thought. So, I sent pamphlets to families living in the USA and the Middle-East offering them an exclusive video cassette filmed on their folks back home.”

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The proposition seems to have caught on as 32 cassettes titled Ajoba aplya ghari! (Grandpa at Home!) have already crossed the seven seas. What is the modus operandi? An enthused Gadgil explains, “Old people generally do not come out of their shell easily. So, when I get an order to do a film, I make a casual visit to the house and get to know them. Then, I take an appointment for the video shoot. I go along with the video unit at 6 am, filming their hourly activities. This may include going for a morning walk with the grandfather or focussing on him during his worship hours.”

And that’s not all. The main idea, says Gadgil, is to bring them out of their loneliness so that they are able to communicate. Sometimes the spotlight is on family albums lying in a shelf and at other times, the grand old people are shown playing badminton or deeply engrossed in a game of chess. And last but not the least, the cassette becomes a family heirloom. More important for him is the fact that children born abroad and thus confused about their Indian identity can now have a glimpse of their ancestral home right in their bedroom!