Jassi is like a Golliwog
Whenever I watch ’Jassi Jaisi koi nahin’ , televised on Sony , I am always reminded of golliwogs or rag dolls of our childhood which were close to our heart and were our most prized possession .Golliwogs and Jassi strike a common cord of togetherness.
Golliwog was the brainchild of Bertha and Florence Upton- a mother and daughter duo, and was born as a story book character in their book entitled ?Adventures of two Dutch Dolls? in 1895 in England. Golliwog was depicted as a black, ugly, rimed eyed, frizzy haired creature wearing most bizarre combination of red trouser, white shirt, blue coat and a red tie. But his comical appearance was shadowed by his outstanding qualities of being brave, adventurous, sometimes unsightly and clumsy too, but extremely friendly, helpful and lovable .
Is?nt our Jassi also sub baton mein agey roop rang mein peechey??..
Golliwog was an instant success among children and reached its pinnacle of glory in no time. Some mischief mongers however, out of sheer jealousy depicted it as a hairy gorilla with paws and claws , but it hardly made a dent in its popularity.
Dunia to uski hasi uray , par woh bas yeh kahti jaye???..
Since, Golliwog was not patented by Uptons, the commercial world took full undue advantage of its folly, and used it liberally as a monogram in their products right from stationary to jewellery to sports goods, clothes, eatables, children?s toys and many many more items and earned unfathomable profits.
Similarly Jassi?s colleagues also many a times misuse her innocence and abilities to attain their ulterior motives.
In 1960, golliwog?s popularity suffered a setback due to racial discrimination among blacks and whites. Although it was banned in some countries, but it continued to thrive in England.
Is?nt our Jassi also a target of class discrimination, often insulted by high class yet continue to survive against all odds.
In spite of all the anti propaganda, golliwog has continued to thrive and is still kicking alive in the ad.material of Robertson and company. There are golliwogs clubs and Newsletter too.
When Jassi jaisi? was first offered , no channel was ready to televise due to Jassi?s repelling looks. But surpassing all speculations and proving everybody wrong, it has Survived like golliwogs and attained the highest TRP ratings
Lets hope as golliwogs have remained close to our hearts, Jassi also remains close to us and continue to entertain us as ever.
-Mrs. Rachna Bhushan