New Delhi . Whenever we talk about the golden era of Doordarshan, the first two serials that come to mind are Ramayana and Mahabharata. Both these shows gave a new direction to the history of Indian television and created a deep place in the hearts of the viewers. Although both the serials were very successful in terms of popularity, but in terms of TRP figures, Mahabharata created a record which immortalized it in the pages of history.

Mahabharata was broadcast between 1988 and 1990 and during this time the show started being watched in every household. There was silence on the streets on Sunday morning and people would sit in front of their TV sets. The grandeur of this serial was its biggest strength. The set design, dialogue delivery and depth of the characters made it not just a religious show but an emotional experience.

Gajendra Chauhan, who played the role of Yudhishthir, had told in an interview that the popularity of Mahabharata can be gauged from its TRP. According to him, while the first episode of Ramayana was watched by about 34 percent viewers and the last episode was watched by 78 percent viewers, Mahabharata had started making records from the very beginning. The TRP of the first episode of Mahabharata was around 79 percent and its last episode created history when this figure reached 99.6 percent.

It was this achievement that earned Mahabharata a place in the Guinness Book of World Records. At that time, no TV show on such a large scale across the world had achieved such a huge viewership. Earlier, the TRP of some foreign shows was around 80 percent but Mahabharata left them behind too.

Behind this success was not just the figures but the hard work of the entire team. The actors played their characters in such a lively manner that the audience started connecting with them. Be it the seriousness of Bhishma, the policy of Krishna or the courage of Draupadi, every character left a deep impact on the hearts of the audience. This is the reason why this show became not just a medium of entertainment but a cultural experience.

The effect of the popularity of Mahabharata can be seen even today. Its story, its dialogues and its characters are still fresh in people’s memories. Even though the technology and presentation may have changed in the modern era, the simplicity and impact of that era is still considered unmatched. In this way, Mahabharat not only created its own identity in Indian television but also proved to the whole world that any show can create history on the basis of a strong story and true hard work.