The Tulsi We Never Knew We Needed!

It was the year 2000, and as the new millennium dawned upon the world, there was an aura of excitement and anticipation. Times were changing gradually, and the society was at the cusp of adopting new mindsets while holding on to the old and familiar trends.

It was at this time that television screens all over India (and probably the world too) proudly displayed a new drama series – Kyunki Saas Bhi Kabhi Bahu Thi. The name itself felt enticing. Families flocked together at night in front of the tv, eager to see what this serial would be about.

Tulsi, the protagonist of the story, came into our lives as a breath of fresh air. Confident and shy, humble and proud, traditional and modern – she was the perfect amalgamation of a millennial. Society watched her in awe as she stood up proudly against those who unfairly bullied her, all the while still holding on to her roots and culture. She taught women all over the world to not to suffer silently and to speak up against injustice.

Nights became the most awaited part of the day when the entire family would club together to watch the serial. It soon became a super hit and for a while, reigned supreme in the television industry.

But then, things started changing. The serial started taking a turn towards the surreal. People coming back from dead, mothers happily giving off their new-born to other mothers who tragically lost theirs, mothers killing their sons dramatically for the crimes committed by them – the unreal factor started increasing with every event shown in the serial. Tulsi became a mockery and gradually the show started losing its appeal.

In fact, the serial and the producer/director became a target of memes, although they weren’t exactly called memes at that time. Tulsi slowly faded away from our lives, living only in jokes about dramatic serials.

Times changed again.

People’s choices changed.

OTT platforms hit the television industry.

New themes, new movies, new series started coming up.

And the world was soon lost in series that mostly taught everyone that it is always the survival of the smartest. Not the fittest, not the honest, nor the earnest, but the smartest. Deadly games of thrones where there was a serious need for censorship, games of hungry people killing each other to win, squid games where people got killed randomly, anime movies featuring teens as protags who fight with monsters, who watch their friends get killed brutally and who learn to give it back in violence – needless to say, the society changed.

Teens and kids watched such movies and series while their parents watched in silent concern. For a while it seemed as if the world would not go back to simple days of entertainment, of family drama and values and ethics.

But then Tulsi resurged one fine day! She came back as the ‘sarvagunna sampanna’ matriarch, as the series describes her. She returned with her morals, values and ethics, draped in beautiful gujarati-styled sarees and neatly combed hair. She stood proudly beside culture and traditions. She stood up against injustice and lies.

Best of all, she taught a very important lesson.

An empowered woman doesn’t follow modern trends or lifestyles simply because they are in trend.

An empowered woman doesn’t need to abandon or question all those values and ethics that she has followed since her childhood.

An empowered woman doesn’t have to pretend to be someone else, simply to be accepted by the society.

An empowered woman? She stays true to herself. She stands with truth and justice. She takes pride in her roots, culture and tradition. She adopts modern mindsets and trends but doesn’t let go of herself.

An empowered woman stays real.

There was a time when I used to watch the serial with great enthusiasm. There also came a time when I became disgusted with the turns it was taking and started mocking it. But today, as I watch it out of pure nostalgia, and my son too watches it with me, I feel grateful to Tulsi for bringing a semblance of simplicity in our lives. For showing us that it will always be in trend to stick to your roots and embrace your culture, that you can be modern and traditional both at once, that you do not have to be someone else simply to embrace ongoing trends.

Maybe the series will someday take some turn for the surreal, making me want to quit. But for now, it is exactly what I needed. What the society needed.

The Tulsi we never knew we needed is back in our lives, and we couldn’t be more grateful.