No kidding!

Channel-surfing, admittedly a colossal waste of time, got me too see Rakhi Sawant trying to silence a wailing infant for a reality show, Pati, Patni aur Woh. Did I see a baby she was trying to manage? My doubt was cleared after two days when I read a news story that a child rights group has petitioned the information and broadcasting minister to stop telecast of Pati, Patni aur Woh, citing health hazards to newborns and toddlers who feature in it.
So baby it was. But what was the baby doing on the show? The show, I read, was about parenting, tracing the journey of five celebrity couples from the eighth month of pregnancy to taking care of an infant, toddler and a teenager.
This Indian version of the BBC show, Baby Borrowers, has, thankfully hit the roadblock. How else can one explain this blatant exploitation of infants? The channel producers are, of course, claiming that the real parents of these infants will be monitoring the babies on a closed-circuit television. But what of the infants, who are throw into unknown arms and have no idea where their parents are and for how long they are to endure this surrogate parenting?
This is reality television show at its worst. Reality shows have become the biggest money spinners for channels. First, it started with singing competitions. Then it went on to dance performances. Now every language channel has these talent shows, with fat prize money and big sponsors. These shows were initially confined to adults or teen-adults. But once the kid versions began, aspiring parents, desperate to see their children on television and, win prizes, are in a tizzy. This spurt in reality talent shows on television has got parents to dream big. Once on television, these children are exposed to very stiff and insensitive judges, which could be detrimental to their psyche. Comparisons and competition, which fan negativity among children, are what get these shows their TRPs.
Even residential gated communities, organizing small-scale festival programmes, have special prizes for best dressed male child and female child! Why? Most parents dress up the child with an eye on the prize, however uncomfortable the clothes are for their children. Another example is the fancy dress competitions organized by schools. Children are made to wear the most complicated outfits to look as weird and fancy as possible to catch the judges’ attention.
Indian parenting has become a high-pressure area. Showcase pressure on parents, and performance pressure on children. There is pressure on parents to showcase their children’s talent. Parents push their aspirations onto children, and goad them into becoming toppers. This pressure has robbed the children off their innocence, making them puppets on parents’ hands. So, after school, they are pushed into tuitions for the top grades in school. Then into various hobby classes, where they are expected to perform well.
It is certainly necessary for children to pursue a few hobbies, be it music or dance or a sport. Parents, in fact, must expose kids into various activities. But then the children have the right to decide what they want to pursue.
So what is the next reality in store for children? Is it Fear Factor/Khatron ke Khiladi for kids between 5-15 years? You never know!