See, the banter's woken up for good now. So you have to join in. :)
Recently I saw a live performance on Mile Sur Mera Tumhara by a bunch of kids at Ramoji Film City, Hyderabad. While the performance itself was impressive, it made me nostalgic and I YouTubed the video out.
I know there is a new Bollywood advertisement that goes Phir Mile Sur Mera Tumhara. But I don't consider it worthy of my banter. The reasons will need a blog or two in themselves.
Anyways, nowadays whenever I listen to or watch this song - one question bugs me. Why don't we have this song anymore on TV or Radio? The original idea seemed to be to promote national integration by making regional superstars and Bollywood stars sing the same couple of lines in different languages. When it used to be telecast way back in 80s, Punjab (Khalistan and 84) was a burning issue, every state in Northeast seemed to have a secessionist movement going, Babri Masjid was still standing, terrorism was limited to Kashmir, and Sachin Tendulkar(I can't engage in banter without mentioning Him once) was just terrorizing Mumbai (oops Bombay) school bowlers. So national integration needed to be promoted, more so on a linguistic basis.
Today, the Naxal movement is as secessionist in nature as Khalistan, nothing much has changed in Northeast, Babri Masjid has been demolished, and terrorism has reached each and every metro in India. Obviously a few positives have also emerged: India's economy has grown and is growing, infrastructure has been developed (yes, cell phones work in parts of Kashmir and Northeast too), and Tendulkar is loved across the country.
But can we say that national integration has been achieved? When Thackerays beat up North Indians in Mumbai, when 1 million people (plan to tomorrow) march in their own state to demand a new state, and when a large number of oppressed-for-years people are abducting random bureaucrats to demand this or that. I think there's still a long way to go in achieving national integration so complete, that it be taken off the media agenda completely.
The reason why DD used to telecast it in 80s and early 90s was to reach out to those for whom the idea of their villages, khaps, and castes was stronger than the idea of their own country and its unity. We can safely assume that the target audience included the literally illiterate populace and the ideologically illiterate populace. Today, literal literacy has increased but so has the base so we still have 350 million who cannot read and write but can access visual or audio media. The ideologically illiteracy has increased unfortunately.
May be not on a linguistic basis, but still we are all pulling in different directions due to our economic standing, our ethnicity, our education, our gender, or whatever divide you may want to consider. The idea behind promoting national integration (Hindi, Khaadi, movement against untouchability, the independence struggle itself, or an orchaestrated Mile Sur) was to make all of us overlook these divides and pull the nation in the same direction - front. The idea still holds true.
The idea needs to be conveyed just like other such ideas like AIDS awareness, polio eradication, and literacy promotion are being conveyed. Through the media that most of India has access to. And for such an important idea, excuses such as large number of private channels and depleting DD viewer numbers should not matter.
The current generation of kids, earners, grown ups, and the elderly needs a reminder every now and then, just like they needed it 20 years back. They also need a song to be nostalgic about 20 years henceforth.
PS: Like most who will read this, I do not watch DD much. So if such a campaign is on there, I wouldn't know. But to cover the ideologically illiterate, such a campaign needs to cover all channels and not through Bollywood ads.
Recently I saw a live performance on Mile Sur Mera Tumhara by a bunch of kids at Ramoji Film City, Hyderabad. While the performance itself was impressive, it made me nostalgic and I YouTubed the video out.
I know there is a new Bollywood advertisement that goes Phir Mile Sur Mera Tumhara. But I don't consider it worthy of my banter. The reasons will need a blog or two in themselves.
Anyways, nowadays whenever I listen to or watch this song - one question bugs me. Why don't we have this song anymore on TV or Radio? The original idea seemed to be to promote national integration by making regional superstars and Bollywood stars sing the same couple of lines in different languages. When it used to be telecast way back in 80s, Punjab (Khalistan and 84) was a burning issue, every state in Northeast seemed to have a secessionist movement going, Babri Masjid was still standing, terrorism was limited to Kashmir, and Sachin Tendulkar(I can't engage in banter without mentioning Him once) was just terrorizing Mumbai (oops Bombay) school bowlers. So national integration needed to be promoted, more so on a linguistic basis.
Today, the Naxal movement is as secessionist in nature as Khalistan, nothing much has changed in Northeast, Babri Masjid has been demolished, and terrorism has reached each and every metro in India. Obviously a few positives have also emerged: India's economy has grown and is growing, infrastructure has been developed (yes, cell phones work in parts of Kashmir and Northeast too), and Tendulkar is loved across the country.
But can we say that national integration has been achieved? When Thackerays beat up North Indians in Mumbai, when 1 million people (plan to tomorrow) march in their own state to demand a new state, and when a large number of oppressed-for-years people are abducting random bureaucrats to demand this or that. I think there's still a long way to go in achieving national integration so complete, that it be taken off the media agenda completely.
The reason why DD used to telecast it in 80s and early 90s was to reach out to those for whom the idea of their villages, khaps, and castes was stronger than the idea of their own country and its unity. We can safely assume that the target audience included the literally illiterate populace and the ideologically illiterate populace. Today, literal literacy has increased but so has the base so we still have 350 million who cannot read and write but can access visual or audio media. The ideologically illiteracy has increased unfortunately.
May be not on a linguistic basis, but still we are all pulling in different directions due to our economic standing, our ethnicity, our education, our gender, or whatever divide you may want to consider. The idea behind promoting national integration (Hindi, Khaadi, movement against untouchability, the independence struggle itself, or an orchaestrated Mile Sur) was to make all of us overlook these divides and pull the nation in the same direction - front. The idea still holds true.
The idea needs to be conveyed just like other such ideas like AIDS awareness, polio eradication, and literacy promotion are being conveyed. Through the media that most of India has access to. And for such an important idea, excuses such as large number of private channels and depleting DD viewer numbers should not matter.
The current generation of kids, earners, grown ups, and the elderly needs a reminder every now and then, just like they needed it 20 years back. They also need a song to be nostalgic about 20 years henceforth.
PS: Like most who will read this, I do not watch DD much. So if such a campaign is on there, I wouldn't know. But to cover the ideologically illiterate, such a campaign needs to cover all channels and not through Bollywood ads.
3 comments:
You are an artist dost..
Articulated the subject so well that boaring subject like this has got vibrant colors.. Skillful act must say..
So many praises cos reading u after a long.. ;)
Anyways I agree with ur logic and really feel that this is probably the most effective possible way of communicating the "feel integrated" emotions to insecure people.. Although this may not guarantee the truce but at least help u win some time.
Btw this also means that the Nation too needs to market itself to its fellow nationals.. :) Carry on Banter!
Yaar I'd jara naya hai.. Its Jinendra.. :)
Hey Paks,
Great piece of literary art!!! I totally agree with you on each and every line of yours!! When I see so called Marathi Manoos behaving in such a way the similar thoughts come into my mind!!! We need a campaign to integrate INDIA asap.
Ravi
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