Respected Sir/Madam,

When I have some relative visiting us, I am very happy. So when Mangalam’s niece, Nitya, called us and said she was visiting Chennai in connection with some college admission related formalities, we both were very excited.

When we have relatives at home, I am treated to dishes that Mangalam rarely cooks in the daily routine. If the relative happens to be Mangalam’s, then she cooks it with even more care. Though, Mangalam vehemently denies it and says it is only my perception.

The Bhoothalingam household had some extra cheer thanks to the young visitor. Things were all going fine until the last evening before Mangalam’s niece was supposed to leave.

After a sumptuous dinner, we were casually chatting with Nitya while some news was playing on TV when the generation gap began to rear its ugly head.

Here is a brief of the conversation we, mostly I, had with Nitya..

Nitya: Uncle, Don’t you have Netflix?

JB : No..why?

Nitya : I don’t like to watch TV. It has been a long time since I watched regular TV at all. We have switched to OTT completely.

JB : What is OTT?

Nitya: Over-the-Top. The Internet streaming services like Netflix, Hotstar etc are called OTT.

JB: On TV we have over 400 channels.. We barely watch 4-5 channels. I watch news and sports.. Your perima watches a couple of daily soaps. Occasionally, if there is a good old movie, we watch it together. Why do we need more?

Nitya: You don’t know what you are missing uncle. A new season of a web-series has dropped on Netflix. After my exam I had planned to watch it. I am dying to watch it.

JB: The only season I know is the different shades of summer we have in Chennai. How can a TV series drop as if it was some fruit falling from a tree?

Nitya: Oh uncle.. a new season for a web-series is like a sequel for a film. A season comes with a set of 7-8 episodes. Unlike in the past when a film was released with a lot of fanfare, nowadays they just get dropped in the server.

Mangalam: I did not know you love Netflix so much. We would have subscribed it for you, if we had known.

Nitya : Don’t worry perima, I have the Netflix app on my mobile. I will try casting it on your TV.

She quickly fidgeted with the remote and suddenly we started seeing Netflix on our TV. A few minutes into the episode, when I saw some unmentionables in the sub-titles that made me uneasy, I commented.

JB: Why have you kept the sub-titles on?

Nitya : Don’t worry uncle, there is no extra charge for it.

JB: Not that...Why do you need English sub-titles for an English programme. Isn’t it distracting ? Also, half the fun is imagining what the actors are saying in their foreign accent.

After about half an hour, Mangalam became restless.

MB: Isn’t the episode too long?

Nitya : Perima, in Netflix web-series, typically the episodes are 45-50 minutes. No irritating ad-breaks also.

As the first episode ended, Nitya continued with the second episode. It made me a bit restless.

JB : One episode itself felt so long..Now you have put on the second one.

Nitya : Binge watching uncle.. These series need to be watched in one stretch.

JB: 7-8 episodes of 45-50 minutes each means more than 6 hours. These very same Hollywood guys made fun of us that how can Indians watch 3 hour movies. Rascals. Hypocrites!

Mangalam: You go and sleep !

I don’t know when Mangalam and Nitya went to sleep. I got up in the middle of the night to have a glass of water, when I saw the lights on in the guest room. Nitya was watching on her mobile phone.

JB : Haven’t you gone to bed yet ?

Nitya: Last episode uncle. I will sleep after that.

If burning the mid-night oil, means binge-watching uncensored content whole night, then I seriously worry about the younger generation.

Yours in disapproval,

J.Bhoothalingam