I am not much of a foodie. I am also not much into cooking or trying out new innovative recipes; but somehow I've always been a fan of Sanjeev Kapoor's Khana Khazana on Zee TV. Now, how did that happen? Well, actually oftentimes, years back, I remember my mother actually sitting down with a pen and paper to jot down the exact recipe for baigan ka bharta, dal makhani or vrat ka khana. The habit has still stayed with me.

This Sunday, I caught up with celebrity chef Sanjeev Kapoor on the show who served up something called an 'eight jewel vegetable'. It's somehow amazing how the show has evolved over the years. From the Khazana of Indian recipes the show has now gone into the best of world cuisines, low calorie food, organizing children's parties, recipes for bachelors. No wonder, the charming host somehow manages to attract viewers across all age groups and categories. Little surprise then that the cookery show has been aired non-stop since its launch in 1993 and has completed a run of more than 500 episodes. I would say, in the non-fiction category, this is one of the most successful shows around.

The show has gone through various formats, and changes in terms of its sets, graphics and recipes and segments. And apart from this, what makes it interesting is Kapoor's methodical presentation of recipes that can be successfully executed even by a novice in the kitchen. Also, the fact that the celebrity chef has penned several cookery books and has worked on the subject for years for several years in India and abroad adds the credibility to the shows. So, bon appetite…

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Moving on I landed in rather dangerous territory on Aaj Tak. An exclusive special report called Godfather whose focus was a party hosted by underworld don Dawood Ibrahim. The channel played a video clipping of a party hosted by Dawood about 16 years ago. It seems the party had celebrities like Gulshan Grover, Anu malik, Kumar Shanu who performed. The reporter had some bytes from some of the people. I caught Kumar Shanu saying some inane things as "you know, I performed at some party, but I don't remember whose party it was."

I wonder what the channel was trying to prove with a story backed by some 16-year-old footage? The story was packaged with some filmi numbers in the background, and the reporters' use of phrases like 'Dawood ki Mehfil' purely sounded like an effort to hype up the news. And why was the special report called Godfather…. I kept wondering.

Since, we are on news channels, somehow, the new kid on the block, Janmat seems to be really focusing on the issues faced by the common man and bringing in the consumer's point of view. Just to cite an example, while most of the news channels have shows on new gizmos & gadgets in the markets, the channel had a show on how some of the gadgets can actually be damaging - at the physical or sometimes at the psychological level, leaving the person very addicted.

Since we are on Janmat, must say the king of blah Shekhar Suman is doing a great job of anchoring a show called Aapka Haq. This week's episode looked at the issue of farmers across the country and how the government has failed to understand the needs of the agricultural class. In the studio were some of the poor farmers from the length and the breadth of the country and the surviving families of farmers who had committed suicide. Must say, Shekhar's come a long way from his Movers & Shakers days. He not only comes across as credible but even knows his stuff when it comes to real issues.

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Surfing on, I stumbled on Sony television. Wonder what's happening on the channel, as most of the time one gets to see all the old shows being repeated - there is Kkusum in the afternoons, then in the morning hours there is Devi and Dhadkan. Wonder, who's watching these soaps in the morning band?

On to more fresh servings, I caught a really good show on ETV Marathi. Stories from the Panchatantra, which had puppet characters and rather colourful sets. Then another show called Me aani Aai (Me and my mother) where kids and mothers have a blast together. Knowing the choosy Marathi audiences which won't accept any unintelligent fare, the channel is definitely on the right track.

Sanjeev Kapoor's Pic from: www.tribuneindia.com