Punjabi antenna
Festivities and the flip side
Randeep Wadehra

THE festival season this year has been unique because along with the traditional Diwali and Bandi Chhor Divas, Punjabis celebrated the third centenary of Gur-ta-Gaddi Divas (establishment of Granth Sahib as the ultimate Guru). Different channels have been highlighting different aspects of the occasion. While DD Jalandhar and Zee Punjabi came up with dedicated slots and news bulletins, PTC News telecast an interesting series titled 300 saal Guru de naal. One of Its episodes highlighted the transformation of the complex at Sachkhand Hazoor Sahib, Nanded, into an ultramodern mini township, enjoying uninterrupted supply of water and electricity, an airport etc. And the imposing main building gives the place an out-of-the-world ambience.

However, the focus wasn’t on the razzmatazz alone. It also telecast the somber and sobering Deeve thalle hanera that highlighted the inhuman conditions in which poor families manufacture crackers. Their poverty forces them to take risks that make one shudder — small children, women and even infirm aged handle highly toxic and explosive chemicals unprotected. In return they earn a pittance while lion’s share goes to businessmen. Then there’s the specter of synthetic khoya and adulterated sweets that can destroy one’s health. Although quintals of such poisonous sweets get confiscated regularly, their supply seems to be unending.

Drug menace has assumed humongous proportions in the region. While the fight against it is not as focused as it should be, there are some heartening success stories. Mukti da nava raah highlights the success of anti-drug addiction campaign in Punjab’s Behman Divana village. Initiated by DIG Jatinder Jain the campaign involves self-help groups, social workers and local officials. Eschewing the easier path of prosecuting drug addicts, the more demanding but enduring moral suasion and systematic de-addiction techniques have been adopted. The results are splendid. The Behman Divana experiment can become a template for the entire region.

Election time spawns events and issues that reek of vote-bank politics. In Punjab the HSGPC controversy is threatening to become an issue during the forthcoming Lok Sabha polls. On the sets of Gurdwara Prabandh di siyasat Tarlochan Singh (MP) and Harjit Singh Grewal (in-charge of Haryana BJP) raised some interesting points: why should the Congress rake up the issue of a separate HSGPC? A political party should keep away from community issues, they declared. But when it was pointed out that the Akali Dal, too, was a political party, the duo changed track. Ah, but who says that politics is a straightforward affair?

Government/public sector organisations, engaged in providing public services, should be more sensitive to the needs of consumers. Given the monopolistic control of electricity generation and supply in Punjab, the responsibility of officials concerned becomes all the more important.

However, on DD Punjabi’s Sajjri Saver, there was no evidence of such niceties when Tarsem Singh Thind answered queries of electricity consumers on October 25. Complaints of undue delays in providing connections, disrepair and poor maintenance of transformers and electricity poles, dangerously hanging live wires and rampant corruption were brushed aside with such glib disdain that even a politician would’ve blushed. Although DD Punjabi’s intentions are above reproach, one really can’t cure cussedness of sarkari babus even in this era of corporatisation of public utilities. But, perhaps, with the passage of time things may improve. Going by the earnestness with which rural and urban consumers petitioned to Thind on the show one can’t help but conclude that hope abides in the heart of the doggedly optimistic aam aadmi. The Kendra should continue telecasting such shows.

On October 30 Sajjri Saver had Hans Raj Hans as guest. One was treated to classic renderings — Sufi kalam, heart-wrenching ballads and Punjabi pop. If only the interviewers had done their homework. But then you know how DDJ functions!