I have hardly been one to follow the conventional routine, I sleep at 7 in the morning, wake up late afternoon, have breakfast when people are returning home from work. I am not proud of the fact and it really bothers me, so of late it got me thinking if I ever religiously followed something?

Surprisingly, Ainakwala Jinn the popular children’s show from the 90s came to my mind, when I would shun all activities, whether it was video games, cycling in my street or playing football, to sit in front of my TV set in anticipation, knowing that I would soon be transformed to a magical world.

The show, as remembered by most, did not use any 3D effects or animations, yet the children of that era were more than happy to be entertained with a Zakota shouting seminar, the hilarious bickering of Bin Batori and Hamun Jadogar and Umru’s instantaneous actions. The height of evil was Iago from Aladin.

I often wonder why such a show was not aired again. Is it because children have lost interest and patience and have turned to the dozens of channels on satellite television for instant gratification, or has our national television (both private and government) stopped producing programmes for children. Ainakwala Jinn too, as far as I can remember, was stretched to its limit and had become boring toward the end with the inclusion of a million other characters and no concrete storyline, but at least it was an effort.

It is quite disappointing to see the dearth of television shows for children. Nowadays amidst the plethora of morning progammes (during school hours), dramas and reality shows, the magic that television could create through children’s entertainment seems to have been lost. Or perhaps pleasing kids with their hi-tech preferences and low patience levels has become so hard that producers are taking the easy route and not venturing in that direction.

However, innovation has no price tag and creativity towers over all challenges so it should not be too hard to brush up on those rusty energy cells because it is time to jump back into the game. The task should not be taken lightly as these shows are meant for a crucial audience, the builders of tomorrow. No matter how fast tracked they get, they will still remain the impressionist age group, some more than others. Therefore, the Ainakwala Jinn and Zakota may require a facelift to adhere to the current generation’s demands but the morals they contain amid the humour will always be taken with a wide eyed believing look.

A 24/7 marathon of news about terrorism, extremism, dirty politics and sensational talk shows is not going to leave a good mark on our coming generation. Entertainment is dying for the most part, more so for kids than for the disgruntled and disillusioned generation that the youth of today belongs to, for at least some of us can find our politicians quite entertaining.

Maybe it was the relatively relaxed pace of things, when globalisation was a notch slower, when children retained some form of innocence and did not demand more expensive forms of entertainment to let loose their imagination.

So much has changed in the past decade, most of it for the best; however, at times one still wants to retain the pleasure in being surprised by the most predictable of make-believe, which is becoming harder with every passing day.