Not just Bolly music ban

ACCORDING to the Sunday Tribune Herald (May 29) article, “SABC’s Bolly ban not all bad”, Sunny Gayadin has given Hlaudi Motsoeneng a week’s ultimatum to reconsider the SABC policy (90 percent local), failing which he planned to set up forums that would lead to protest marches.

I am sure he is not going to get the co-operation of all sections of the community to join in the march. Gayadin is surely aware that according to the Post article “Lotus FM will die” of its May 18-22 edition, the head of one sectarian group has already stated music is prohibited in their culture, “so it doesn’t affect us”.

Of course the irony is that they have been hogging all the important positions at the station ever since its inception.

Even if all groups unite in the march, who is going to listen to their grievances? It is an indisputable fact that nobody holding office in this country listens, unless people start burning, looting and destroying. I cannot see Indians doing that.

Incidentally people should know that it is not only Bollywood music that is being banned by the SABC as the Herald implies.

Music from India, including bhajans by the likes of Anoop Jalota, Kannan Veeramani, Jagjit Singh, Hari Om Sharan and so on, who are separate from Bollywood, are also banned.

Jazz veteran Don Laka has also tried bullying the Indian community with the following post on his Facebook page: “Please (toe) the line and stop with your threats or we will campaign for a total shutdown‚“he wrote.

I think we should pre-empt bullies like Laka and Motsoeneng and close Lotus FM ourselves by switching off. The Hindu community should get a radio station of their own.

Christians and Muslims in this country have their own radio stations – why not Hindus? And it will be a chance for all linguistic groups to unite as Hindus. Otherwise, how on Earth are “Indians” going to fight for a station based on race? This is the technicality on which they are likely to fail.

Finally, it is all about money. Laka has made this clear: “We have stopped the outflow of money to the US‚ UK and now you think that it should go to India?”

Hence they have openly said they want Indian South Africans to listen to gospel, and other indigenous music. And as time goes by the quota will change to “more songs by black singers” in accordance with the “demographics of the country”. Wanna bet?

SANU SINGH Reservoir Hills