Punjabi antenna
A system exposed
Randeep Wadehra

Santaap 25 saalan da on the small screen clearly gave the message that the culprits responsible for the 1984 anti-Sikh violence were yet to be punished

Twentyfive years is a long time for a nation to wake up to an injustice done to a large mass of its denizens. The long drawn saga of prevarication, posturing and postponement has done no credit to the system that ostensibly works on liberal democratic foundations with a strong grounding in the Satyam Aev Jayatey ethics. This message came loud and clear from the small screen last fortnight.

It all started with producer Rupinder Kaur's Santaap 25 saalan da — a three-episode series on the 1984 anti-Sikh violence in Delhi and other parts of the country. In well reasoned investigation, the show's anchor Davinder Pal Singh interviewed Supreme Court lawyer HS Phoolka, who showed how various commissions were set up, not to unearth the truth and punish the culprits but to push the filth under the carpet.

But the stink has refused to die down. The deed was simply too foul to remain hidden. Manoj Mitta, a senior journalist associated with investigating and documenting the aftermath of anti-Sikh violence, explained how the system tried to protect the perpetrators. Eyewitnesses and victims like Karnail Singh and Nirpreet Kaur narrated the hitherto untold stories of bestiality. Nirpreet justified her taking to arms even as her son, Prabhjot, wanted to work for justice within the system.

In fact, Nirpreet — who underwent nine years of imprisonment — symbolises the anger and anguish of those innocent people whose lives have been irreparably destroyed. Jarnail Singh of the shoe-gate reputation asked why culprits of the 1984 carnage have gone unpunished when he has been punished within 45 days of flinging a shoe at the Home Minister.

Khabarsaar discussed the issue threadbare — concluding that although it is too late for justice to be done, there is an urgent need to heal the wounds of the survivors. The participants also pointed out how the grave social problem of drug addiction has become more virulent among Punjabi youth in the aftermath of the violence.

There was also talk of time being a great healer. But, the consensus was that the blot can be wiped off the fair face of Indian democracy through right action. Masle concentrated on the lessons that could be learnt from the violence and what corrective/preventive steps could be taken for the future. Perhaps, there is still some scope for redemption. Mercifully, politicians were kept out of all the debates/shows.

By the way, the onscreen depiction of the success of Dal Khalsa sponsored-Punjab bandh did not find resonance in the print media. The bandh passed off peacefully. Ironically, a life was lost on the same day due to overzealousness of the security forces during the Prime Minister's visit to Chandigarh.

While watching Chakk de phatte on MH1 on November 9, one recalled the good old days when Doordarshan, Jalandhar, used to telecast Punjabi movies. It still does but most of them are three decades, or more, old, and the quality of prints (including digital versions) is bad, to put it mildly.

One had expected DDJ to augment its library with latest productions, but alas! MH1 has been telecasting some of the more recent movies in its 8 pm slot for quite some time now. Flicks like Jee aaya nu, Chann Pardesi etc offer an alluring alternative to the fare dished out by other entertainment channels.

Incidentally, why doesn't DDJ have indigenous Punjabi religious programmes for the Christian community? It telecasts locally produced discourses relating to Hinduism, Sikhism, Jainism etc, but when it comes to Christianity, it offers American leftovers wherein a Caucasian woman addresses a congregation comprising African-Americans, Asians, Hispanics and a sprinkling of Whites.

Although the voiceover is in Punjabi, it still does not sound Indian. Surely, the Christian community in Punjab deserves a better fare than this.