Punjabi Antenna
Rain, song and dance
Randeep Wadehra

Is there a symbiosis between cultural development and economic prosperity? Last fortnight, Sucha Singh Gill, a noted economist, was in conversation with Balvinder on Zee Punjabi’s Sohani Saver. Although Balvinder attempted to link Punjabi culture’s degradation to the state’s economy-in-doldrums, Gill wanted to stick to the purely economic aspects, while analysing the current situation in Punjab. It was an interesting tussle between a Punjabi culture aficionado and a dyed-in-the-wool economist.

Question: When was DD Punjabi founded? You have three choices – (a) 1992; (b) 1998; and (c) 2000.

There was an interesting tussle recently between Punjabi culture aficionado Balvinder (above) and noted economist Sucha Singh Gill on Sohani Saver

On August 2, an announcement was made that on the occasion of DD Punjabi’s 10th anniversary, Dhadi Sangeet would be telecast directly from Takht Keshgarh Sahib on the same day from 9 to 12 in the night. This would mean that the channel was established in the year 2000. However, other sources, including various newspapers’ websites, have been carrying news of the channel’s establishment in 1998. To confound the confusion, Wikipedia asserts that DD Punjabi was actually set up in 1992. Even the exact date/month of the founding varies from August to October. So, take your pick. Nonetheless, let us extend our greetings to the channel on its officially announced 10th anniversary celebrations.

And, what celebrations! Dhadi Sangeet is definitely one of our prized cultural inheritances, and it deserved to be telecast. But, a media channel’s anniversary also ought to be the time for introspection, to take stock of the threats and opportunities, which it faces. One had expected talk shows wherein the region’s noted media personalities would express their views. But, alas, only silence! Admittedly, despite its various drawbacks, DD Punjabi has given us quite a few interesting programmes.

In a road show of sorts – interspersed with songs – DD Punjabi’s peppy anchor asked an interesting question to people she met on the road, viz., what was more important to them – luck or hard work? There were predictable responses. Most of the media-savvy Punjabis gave full marks to hard work, while deprecating fatalism. But one couple proved to be different. While the wife said destiny was all-important, the husband placed full faith in hard work. When the anchor pointed out that his wife’s reply was different, the guy smiled scornfully, and replied: "Oh, she is a mere housewife; what do women know of hard work? Ask us men who have to go out and toil!" Did someone mutter MCP?

Talking of women’s contribution, Reeta Sharma, the anchor of Punjab Speaks (PTC News), introduced Rachchpal Kaur Bains as an ideal housewife who had married at the age of 15 `BD years to look after her dead elder sister’s children – the eldest of whom was only a few years younger to her. Apart from raising the three – and a few of her own – Rachchpal also worked outside. But there was another point being made on the show. Unlike women of yore, today’s young people, citing busy existence, are increasingly depending upon hotel and junk food, resulting in deadly lifestyle diseases like diabetes, cardiac malfunction and high blood pressure.

Monsoons in Punjab are traditionally associated with Teeyan celebrations and feasts of kheer etc, while lasses on swings sing paeans to sawan – a tradition that is dying, if not already dead. DD Punjabi’s Sunehe tried to resurrect this hoary convention. Viewers phoned in to the show’s anchors and talked wistfully of the celebrations and the attendant goodies that used to be a part of the monsoons in Punjab.