Special Report
Terrestrial network gets the boot; Ku band gets the green signal
The outlay for the I&B ministry in the 10th Five Year Plan has been recommended at Rs 85,500 million, of which the broadcasting sector gets the lion‘s share of Rs 76,700 million.
The Working Group is however clear that terrestrial broadcasting network in the country should not be expanded any further. Instead, the investment, it recommends, is to be channelised into providing a multi channel bouquet in free to air mode in the Ku band through satellite distribution. In case of sparsely populated areas, the bouquet of channels should be delivered direct to the TV households through individual set top boxes by recovering 50 per cent cost from the consumers, it suggests.
In case of compact populations of 100 TV households, the bouquet should be delivered through a cable headend to be given to an entrepreneur or a local public authority or institutions by meeting the 100 per cent capital cost. Investment in set top boxes and cable headends should be phased out in such a manner that the entire operation becomes market driven by the end of the 10th plan, the group has suggested.
The cost of covering the remaining 10 per cent of the population in the terrestrial mode would run up to Rs 21,320 million, while recurring costs would amount to Rs 3,200 million. Comparative figures of coverage via satellite or through cable distribution work out to far lesser costs, the group concludes.
Summary Comparison of cost estimation for expansion of coverage (Rs. millions)
| Coverage expansion | Terrestrial(1 channel) | Direct from satellite – set top boxes (20 channels) | throuch cable distribution (6 channels) |
|||
| Capital | Rec/Ann | Capital | Rec/Ann | Capital | Rec/Ann | |
| 90 – 95 % | 13240 | 1990 | 3380 | 360 | 3130 | 770 |
| 95 – 100 % | 21320 | 3200 | 3000 | Nil | 2750 | 410 |
Satellite, says the report, is a more viable option for providing coverage to such areas. The capital investment required is only for the uplinking facility and hiring of transponders, which is low compared to investments required in a large network of terrestrial transmitters, it adds.
Although spectrum, a scarce resource, is freely available to DD at present, it would not be prudent to overlook its opportunity cost, the report notes. Satellite distribution systems on the other hand, can carry large number of channels with only marginal increase in the investment on uplink and transponder facilities as compared to a single channel network of terrestrial transmitters, the report has suggested.
Cost of set top boxes along with satellite dish antennas for free to air reception in the Ku band, currently pegged at Rs 6000 is likely to come down by 50 per cent in the next five years, the report predicts. Maintaining that a one time investment of this quantum for getting a large bouquet of free to air channels would be ‘very much within the reach of majority of the population‘, the report says that there is a need for conscious effort to promote this technology in the initial years to realise a large volume of receiving equipment in an affordable price by the end of the plan period.
The report recommends distribution of a bouquet of around 20 channels in the Ku band in FTA mode as it requires a small dish antenna, making its transportation and installation in the remote and inaccessible areas very convenient, and is cheaper than C band installations.
MUMBAI: Some friendships are made in heaven; others are coded in Mumbai. Hamara Vinayak, the first-ever digital original from Siddharth Kumar Tewary’s Swastik Stories, turns the divine into the delightful, serving up a story that’s equal parts start-up hustle and spiritual hustle.
Some tech start-ups chase unicorns. This one already has a god on board. Hamara Vinayak takes the leap from temple bells to notification pings and it does so with heart, humour and a healthy dose of the divine.
At its core, the show asks a simple but audacious question: what if God wasn’t up there, but right beside you, maybe even debugging your life over a cup of chai?
The show’s tagline, “God isn’t distant… He’s your closest friend” perfectly captures its quirky soul. Across its first two episodes, screened exclusively for media in Mumbai, the series proves that enlightenment can come with a good punchline.
The series follows a group of ambitious young entrepreneurs running a Mumbai-based tech start-up that lets people around the world book exclusive virtual poojas at India’s most revered shrines. But as their app grows, so do their ethical grey zones. Into this chaos walks Vinayak, played with soulful serenity and sly wit by the charming Namit Das, a young man whose calm smile hides something celestial.
He’s got the peaceful look of a saint but the wit of someone who could out-think your favourite stand-up comic. Around him spins a crew of dream-driven youngsters – Luv Vispute, Arnav Bhasin, Vaidehi Nair and Saloni Daini who run a Mumbai-based tech start-up offering devotees across the world the chance to book “exclusive” poojas at India’s most sacred shrines. It’s a business plan that blends belief and broadband – and, as the story unfolds, also tests the moral compass of its ambitious founders.
“The first time I read the script, I found the character very pretty,” Namit joked at the post-screening interaction. “It’s a beautiful thought that God isn’t distant, he’s your closest friend. And playing Vinayak, you feel that calm but also his cleverness. He’s the friend who makes you think.”
The reactions to the series ranged from smiles to sighs of wonder. Viewers were charmed by the show’s sincerity and sparkle, a quality that stems from its creator’s belief that faith can be funny without being frivolous.
Among the cast, Luv Vispute shines brightest, his comic timing adding sparkle to the show’s more reflective beats. But what keeps Hamara Vinayak engaging is the easy rhythm of its writing – one moment touching, the next teasing, always gently reminding us that spirituality doesn’t have to be solemn.
Luv spoke fondly of his long association with Swastik. “Since my first show was with Swastik, this feels like home,” he said. “Every project with them is positive, feel-good, and this one just had such a different vibe. I truly feel blessed.”
Saloni Daini, who brings infectious warmth to her role, added that she signed up the moment she heard the show was about “Bappa.”
“We shot during the Ganpati festival,” she recalled. “The energy on set was incredible festive, faithful, and full of laughter. It’s such a relatable story for our generation: chaos, friendship, love, kindness, and faith all mixed together.”
Vaidehi Nair and Arnav Bhasin complete the ensemble, each representing different shades of ambition and morality in the start-up’s journey. Their camaraderie is easy and believable, a testament to how much the cast connected off-screen as well.
This clever fusion of mythology and modernity plays to India’s two enduring loves, entertainment and faith. Mythology has long been the comfort zone of Indian storytellers, from the televised epics of the 1980s to the glossy remakes that still command prime-time TRPs. For decades, gods have been our most bankable heroes. But Hamara Vinayak tweaks the formula not by preaching, but by laughing with its characters, and sometimes, at their confusion about where divinity ends and data begins.
Creator Siddharth Kumar Tewary, long hailed as Indian television’s myth-maker for shows like Mahabharat, Radha Krishn and Porus, explained the show’s intent with characteristic clarity, “This is our first story where we are talking directly to the audience, not through a platform,” he said. “We wanted to connect young people with our culture to say that God isn’t someone you only worship; He’s your friend, walking beside you, even when you take the wrong path. The story may be simple, but the thought is big.”
That blend of philosophy and playfulness runs through the show. “We had to keep asking ourselves why we’re doing this,” Tewary added. “It’s tricky to make something positive and spiritual for the OTT audience, they’ve changed, they want nuance, not sermons. But when the purpose is clear, everything else aligns.”
For the creator of some of Indian TV’s most lavish spectacles, Hamara Vinayak marks a refreshing tonal shift. Here, Tewary trades celestial kingdoms for co-working spaces and cosmic battles for office banter. Yet his signature remains: an eye for allegory, a love for faith-infused storytelling, and an understanding that belief is most powerful when it feels personal.
Hamara Vinayak, after all, feels less like a sermon and more like a conversation over chai about what success means, what faith costs, and why even the gods might be rooting for a start-up’s Series A round.
As Namit Das reflected during the Q&A, “Life gives us many magical, divine moments we just forget to notice them. Sometimes even through a phone screen, you see something that redirects you. That’s a Vinayak moment.”
The series also mirrors a larger cultural pivot. As audiences migrate from television to OTT, myth-inspired tales are finding new form and flexibility online. The digital screen lets creators like Tewary reinvent the genre, giving ancient ideas a modern interface, without losing the emotional charge that’s made mythology India’s storytelling backbone for decades.
In a country where faith trends faster than any hashtag, Hamara Vinayak feels both familiar and refreshingly new, a comedy that’s blessed with heart, humour and just enough philosophy to keep the binge holy.
For a country where mythology remains the oldest streaming service, Tewary’s move from TV to OTT feels both natural and necessary. Indian storytellers have always turned to gods for drama, guidance and TRPs from Ramayan and Mahabharat on Doordarshan to glossy mytho-dramas on prime time. But digital platforms allow creators to remix reverence with realism, and in Hamara Vinayak, faith gets an interface upgrade.
The result is a show that feels like a warm chat with destiny, part comedy, part contemplation. And in an age of cynicism, that’s no small miracle.
As Tewary put it, smiling at his cast, “The message had to be positive. We just wanted to remind people that even in chaos, God hasn’t unfriended you.”
With 5 episodes planned, Hamara Vinayak promises to keep walking that fine line between laughter and light. It’s mythology with memes, devotion with dialogue, and a digital-age reminder that even the cloud has a silver lining or perhaps, a divine one.
If the first two episodes are any sign, the show doesn’t just bridge heaven and earth, it gives both a Wi-Fi connection.
