For television viewers the choice is between Swadeshi and Videshi Vulgarity.

Television (TV) has become the major entertainment in our lives. The music shows, series, reality shows, news, cartoon, movies are all entertaining us day in and day out. There was a time when programs like Malgudi days, Rangoli, Turning point, Surabhi, Bomkesh Bakshi, Dekh Bhai Dekh, Ramayan were viewed with out missing even a single episode. Now may be due to the increasing number of channels and the remote control every one just browses through different channels watching 2 or more programs at a time.

Television is falling down a slippery slope. Quality TV programs are rare to find. Cursing, gratuitous violence, sex and vulgarity are now more "the norm" than the exception in all kinds of programs. The most popular meaning of vulgar is lacking refinement or good taste. Vulgar means conspicuously and tastelessly indecent. Oxford dictionary defines vulgar also as referring inappropriately to sex and bodily functions. Vulgarity is the quality of lacking good taste and refinement.

Indian television has gone a long way-“getting inspired” from the different American and British shows and producing the Swadeshi version of it. The difference is when one sees the original American or British version he/she feels it is ‘ok’, but when it comes to the Indian version one feels awkward. Adding unnecessary “drama” into soap operas and the reality shows make it really dragging. Thomas Carlyle equated vulgarism with materialism when he wrote "The deepest depth of vulgarism as that of setting up money as the Ark of the Covenant". Today Hindi and Malayalam Soap opera artists are materialistic to the extent that it definitely can be put into the vulgar category.

As far as the sexual content is concerned Indian TV programs are somewhat clean. But when it is used, it would have nothing to do with the story as such. This trend is slowly changing in Hindi cinema at least. Few new directors are judiciously using “kisses and hugs” in their movies. Malayalam, Tamil and Kannad TV industries are still where they were 5 years ago. On the other hand Videshi channels are said to have more vulgar content when compared to Swadeshi channels. There is always some sexual content in the foreign TV programs, but without it the story would be incomplete.

When it comes to the world of advertisements some western ads have irrelevant vulgar content when compared to Indian advertisements. For example Axe perfume Vs Park Avenue advertisements. In the westerns ads the concept is of attracting women but in Indian ads it is just smelling good and forming an identity.

According to David Foster Wallace, “TV is not vulgar and prurient and dumb because the people who compose the audience are vulgar and dumb”. What is vulgar and what is not will depend on one’s attitude. For some nudity is vulgar, for others abusive words and violence is vulgar. The same nudity that is considered as vulgar by some is considered as art by others. For example M. F. Hussain’s work, statues and sculptures in ancient Hindu temples, Deepa Mehta’s Fire, Chitra Banerjee Divakaruni’s The Mistress of Spices, and Vatsyayana’s Kamasutra.

It is the situation and the person’s mood that makes things vulgar. The culture also plays an important role in forming ones view of vulgarity. Public display of affection is considered vulgar in Indian society but not in western culture especially French and American societies. Therefore, as it is said ‘Beauty is in the eyes of the beholder’, vulgarity also is in the eyes of the beholder.