National Broadcaster Doordarshan , in its bid to keep people engaged while they are indoors following the 21-day lockdown, has introduced reruns of its popular shows of the bygone era. Joining the rerun schedule today is Chanakya, a 47-part epic drama written and directed by Dr. Chandraprakash Dwivedi , originally telecast between 1991 and 1992. Dwivedi had produced the fictionalised account of the life and times of the 4th century BCE Indian economist, strategist and political theorist Chanakya, also known as Vishnugupta. Dr Dwivedi also played Chanakya in the show.However, few would know that the show was rejected by the broadcaster when it was first pitched to them. Recalling the time, Dr Dwivedi told us, “I had pitched it sometime in the mid-1980s. The response I got from them was that the show didn’t fit the channel’s scheme of work but they had liked my skill as a writer. It baffled me because they had historical shows like Tipu Sultan but did not feel that a show like Chanakya would work for them. I didn’t take no for an answer. I researched and wrote 20-page letters to them for a very long time. My letters were in chaste Hindi, debating the channel’s decision with strong points. Eventually, the broadcaster took cognisance of my proposal. By that time, several prominent producers wanted to make Chanakya and had been sending their proposals to the channel. Although I was a newcomer, they gave me the chance and asked me to submit my proposal again around 1986-87. It was in 1988 when I made the pilot and the show was approved. Later on, the government officials would joke about my letters but I would often tell them that if I didn’t write those long letters, they would not have paid heed to my request.”Dr Dwivedi was planning to make the show in his quest to find a way to get into cinema. He said, “I was a theatre-writer and actor. I wanted to get into films and I wanted to make the show to find my ground. It’s so funny but I didn’t have a TV at home when I was making Chanakya. I could purchase one after I made the show. My show ran into so many hurdles and so many people had criticised it at that time, giving it a religious and political colour. Had it not been for the country’s limited intelligensia, Chanakya would not have run its course on TV.”