| Satellite TV is a Liberator or the first time in history, | | | | golden-hearted leftists, who have the moral right to |
| India's Republic Day was seen live all over Asia on | | | | shoot those who disagree. Democratic governments |
| Star TV, and the fuming politicians and intellectuals of | | | | can claim to represent the people of their country. But |
| Pakistan could do nothing about it. The budget speech | | | | many also claim the right of determine what their |
| of Dr Man Mohan Singh ;will be broadcast all over Asia | | | | people can watch, which is not democracy but |
| by Zee TV, and once again the censors in Pakistan, | | | | monopoly. Democracy is about the freedom of people |
| Burma and elsewhere will be helpless to prevent their | | | | to choose, not the freedom of politicians and intellectual |
| countrymen from tuning in. What Doordarshan and the | | | | goons to impose their views on the masses. Earlier, |
| external affairs ministry could never have | | | | technology enabled governments to exercise a TV |
| accomplished, in spreading the message about India's | | | | monopoly. But satellite TV has broken that monopoly, |
| economic Renaissance, is being done through the | | | | and allowed people to choose what they wanted to |
| purely commercial channels of satellite TV. Whatever | | | | see. This is not imperialism but liberation. Imperialism |
| else you may call this, this is not cultural imperialism | | | | implies that a foreigner is using force to enter India |
| imposed by the west on India. On the contrary, it is the | | | | against the wishes of Indians. Satellite TV is not and |
| spread of cultures of all Asian countries to one | | | | cannot be forced on viewers, who have the option to |
| another. The new liberalism means the Indians can see | | | | tune in or not. Those who complain about cultural |
| Pakistani programmes, and Pakistanis Indian | | | | imperialism are in fact cultural monopolists, wishing to |
| programmes. For decades Pakistan refused to allow | | | | imprison the minds and tastes of viewers in |
| the import of Indian films on the ground that Pakistan's | | | | pre-determined cages. Fortunately satellite technology |
| film industry will be ruined by the competition. Today, | | | | has destroyed those cages. That is a tragedy only for |
| Zee TV and Jain TV are beaming down umpateen | | | | the self-appointed guardians of culture. |
| Hindi films to Pakistani audience. Yet Pakistan's film | | | | UNPARALLELLED VEHICLE: Satellite TV should be |
| industry has certainly not been destroyed. Only the | | | | seen as an unparalleled vehicle for spreading Indian |
| monopoly of Pakistani rulers and vested interests has | | | | culture, ideas and views to the rest of Asia, and |
| been broken. Indian viewers can bow see excellent | | | | eventually to the whole world. Programmes like The |
| plays on Pakistan TV beamed down by satellite, which | | | | India Show and India Business Report of Star TV do |
| are generally far superior to the stuff dished out by | | | | far more for India's image that anything that Indian |
| Doordarshan. This has dismayed self-righteous Indians | | | | embassies or All India Radio ever could. Stat TV an |
| who think Indian viewers are gullible fools who must be | | | | Zee TV beam many advertisements of Indian |
| protected from Pakistani propaganda by wise Indian | | | | companies all over Asia, but carry virtually no ads from |
| intellectuals. There is of course another possibility-that | | | | Pakistani or Bangladeshi companies. This shows how |
| TV viewers are quite wise enough, and the | | | | satellite TV has transformed India's clout as an |
| self-righteous intellectuals are the gullible fools. NOT | | | | audience into international commercial clout of national |
| DECULTURISED: Indian viewers have now been | | | | importance. From Amjad Ali Khan to Baba Sehgal, |
| exposed for a long time to TV programmes from | | | | from Sonal Mansingh to Jasmine Barucha, Indian |
| BBC and Pakistan, and India has not been subverted | | | | performers are now visible all over Asia and Indian |
| or deculturised in the process. It is evident that Indian | | | | films and TV shows have an unparalleled foreign |
| viewers are quite capable of deciding what they wish | | | | audience. Because of the language barrier, many such |
| to absorb or reject from foreign programmes, and | | | | programmes have a limited reach in South East Asia. |
| neither need nor want protection from the | | | | But there is not langurge barrier in the case of |
| self-righteous crowd. Indeed, this follows from | | | | Pakistan, with whom satellite TV is building cultural |
| democracy itself. In a democracy, ordinary people, | | | | bridges, which politicians and intellectuals oppose. India |
| illiterate or otherwise, are deemed wise enough to | | | | and Pakistan will not reconcile their political differences |
| select their rulers. And yet the self-righteous | | | | in the near future. But when that day comes, I believe |
| intellectuals would have you believe that the same | | | | the reconciliation will owe a debt to the cultural |
| voters are not wise enough to choose their TV | | | | cross-fertilisation that satellite TV provides today |
| programmes. It is no accident that many of these | | | | regardless of religion or nation. Keith Londrie II is a well |
| intellectuals are (or have been) Marxists, who have | | | | known author. For more information on Satellite TV, |
| long peddled the theory that the washed masses must | | | | please visit Satellite TV for a wealth of information. |
| be protected from their personal preferences by | | | | |