MY FIRST BLACK AND WHITE TELEVISION

I enjoyed watching television programmes since the day such programmes were made available. I was in the primary school then and not many people could afford to own a TV.

            At that time, those who could afford such a luxury were working with the English companies like MTD (Malayan Tin Dredging) or the Perak Hydro Electric that produced electricity by burning diesel to turn the turbines. There were a few families who owned TV sets and they allowed us to watch programmes from outside their windows.

            At night I would run off to the house nearby which had the TV. It belonged to an Indian family. They would switch it on at about 7.30 pm. The children enjoyed the programmes just as I did. I would stand outside their house and watched the programmes through the window. If they were not around, I would go to another house to do the same thing. Most of the time, I was alone but there were times when other kids joined me.

            There were programmes like ‘The Time Tunnel’, ‘Land of the Giants’, ‘Samurai’, and ‘Mission Impossible’. Sometimes other kids from nearby joined me but most of the time I was alone.

            Coming back to the first TV. I bought it in 1997. That was when I was working at United Engineers as a laboratory assistant. At that time I was getting RM350 which was considered quite a good sum.

            I felt that a TV was needed to provide some form of entertainment for the family. So I decided to get one. Even a black and white one was good enough. Of course the coloured ones were in the market but they cost a fortune.

            After getting my first pay envelope I went to Hock Soon Heng in Batu Gajah. I talked to the owner about getting a TV and that I was going to settle the payment in three installments. He agreed to my plan as my family had good relationship with the owner.

            The next day the technicians came and installed the TV antennae and set up the TV. It was the talk of the neighbourhood. My neighbours were curious and eager to watch the programmes.

            There were only two channels; TV1 and TV2, so we had a limited choice of programmes. On most days there were the regular English programmes. On Friday night there was the only Malay movie and on Wednesday there was the Chinese movie. The Tamil movie was screened on Saturday.

            So on Wednesday night, my Chinese neighbours would be seated in front of the TV after dinner. As kind hosts, we obliged to offer the front seats to them. Then on Saturday nights, my Indian neighbours would occupy the seats. We had to accompany them until the movie ended. Only then would we switch off the TV and go to bed. If the movie ended late, we would have to retire late too. At least I did not have to run to my neighbour’s house to enjoy my past time; watching TV programmes.

            I settled the payments in three installments as promised and I quit the job a few months after that to join the Teachers’ Training programme in 1978.