Punjabi antenna
Breaking all records
Randeep Wadehra

If one looks at the various long running television shows, one finds that, with rare exception, these are based on music. No anchor has lasted long enough to notch up 2K non-stop appearances before. At least not on Indian television, one is tempted to remark. If we tell you that this feather is firmly ensconced in the pugree of a Punjabi TV show, which has also been garnering highest TRPs all the while, you wouldn’t believe it, of course. But it is true.

Two thousand and going strong! That’s the score of Pawan Sharma, the astrologer-cum-anchor of Zee Punjabi’s twin astrology-based TV shows Ajj Da Rashiphal (Monday to Friday 8.30 am) and Tuhadde Sitare (Saturdays 8.30 am). He completed 2,000 non-stop appearances on April 25. He clarifies that Tuhadde is the weekend edition of Ajj a la our print dailies. Actually he has appeared on the shows 2,700 times uninterrupted if you take into account the 700 episodes of 15-minute duration that had preceded the present 30-minute-long version. This must be a world record of sorts, and certainly an Indian record.

The feat becomes all the more creditable when one learns that the shows remained top-rated since inception— unique for a non-musical Punjabi TV show. When congratulated on the occasion, Pawan smiled modestly. A reticent person, it is a job getting him to talk about himself. Although his great grandfather was a respected astrologer, Pawan remained indifferent to the profession till he reached college where he would read his peers’ palms.

Thence he took to astrology seriously. He was noticed for his articles on the subject and was featured in Zee TV’s documentary Astral Baby. Thereafter, he was signed up by Zee Punjabi (then Alpha Punjabi) and the rest is history that promises to flow into a bright future.

When quizzed about the response of his viewers, his face lights up as he reveals how he gets letters via speed-post and registered mail. Among the queries from anxious people the prospects of one’s migration to the West feature prominently.

How effective are the upayas in averting impending adversities? He firmly believes that our present is the sum total of our past, but avers that although one cannot escape one’s karma, adversities can be mitigated. Upayas also act as psychological boosters that strengthen one’s resolve to face up to the vagaries of life. When pointed out that astrologers often make favourabe predictions that turn out to be false, he agrees and says one should not make misleading predictions.

He further asserts: "I prefer to say things as they are without sugar-coating. I prepare people mentally for their tryst with destiny by telling them the truth. Knowledge is the best upaya because it is the most effective anti-dote to superstition." Is it any wonder that Pawan Sharma has become Punjabi television’s record breaking host?