The Cauvery “agitation” is 30 days old today. For exactly a month now, Sun TV has been invisible in most houses in Mysore and Bangalore, thanks to the linguistic flame burning brightly in the heart of the cable operator. Tamil movies have been off cinema screens in both cities. The “ban” has been lifted in some areas, but as was evident in an assault by the increasingly (and disturbingly) aggressive Karnataka Rakshana Vedike on a theatre that tried to screen a Tamil move today, an unwritten ban persists.
Do only Tamils watch Sun TV and Tamil cinema in Karnataka? Is the blockade a legitimate form of protest? Who decides this and on what ground/s? Why is the deprival of entertainment seen as a way of driving home the perceived injustice concerning water to the State? If trains/buses/cars can go to and come from Tamil Nadu freely, why can’t the airwaves?
Since the ban is far from voluntary in the viewer’s eyes, and since all TV viewers are at the knifepoint of the cable operator, is the inability of the State Government and the Police to get the ban lifted an indication of the breakdown of law and order? Are Kannadigas following the footsteps of Narendra Modi‘s Gujarat, which banned NDTV for a while, and has since failed to pave the way for Fanaa and Parzania to be screened?
churumuri 
Language like music transcends man made borders and communities. This blockade is bad and ridiculous. A good melodious song is a good melodious song irrespective of whether it is in hindi, tamil, telugu or bengali so is a serial or a programme. It is the choice of the individual as to what channel he wants to view. Why should anybody dictate that and who are they do it? KRV is a communal outfit consisting of misguided and brainwashed individuals. KRV is not above law and they should be made accountable and punished severly for there many violent incidents.
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How about blocking all telugu channels because we are having dispute with AP on the Krishna river and also ban ETV kannada and Udaya/Ushe.. just because they are owned by ETV and Sun networks? How about KRV taking up this please?
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Kiran.
It is all for good .
If kannadigas arent benefitted from it then probably we dont miss it much.
Ok, we will ask KRV to take up your other issues also .
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Shun your cable operator, go for DTH. Your problem is solved!
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one should congratulate rakshana vedike activists for their crusade against injustice to kannadigas. are there any instances of kannada cinema being screened in chennai,ooty, krishnagiri where kannadigas reside in large numbers. kannadiga freedom is virtually supressed in chennai. why intellectuals are silent. karnataka continue to suffer because of predatory attitude of neighbouring states and some non-kannadigas in bengalooru.
NAMMA OUDHARYA NAMMA DOURBHALYA AAGABAARADU
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Do we get Udaya TV atleast in nook and corner of Tamilnadu, atleast in Chennai?
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# FourthEstate Says:
March 6th, 2007 at 7:27 pm
Shun your cable operator, go for DTH. Your problem is solved!
But the problem is Mr. Maran, despite being a union Minister, is not allowing SUN channels on DTH platform !
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Hate to say this – Sometimes, protecting or supporting your language also involves making sure that other rival languages are carefully monitored and regulated. (Sure – go ahead and call me names!!) If we are so addicted to a language from a different state that we try to compare a temporary ban on Tamil channels to Narendra Modi’s Gujarat, probably we should think twice before we cry about kannada language-border-culture again! Let the dynamics of free society decide which language survives in Bangalore and eventually in Karnataka! Sounds good?
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Prior restraints are inconsistent with expressive freedom. The cable providers’ acts of censorship, in Karnataka or Gujarat, may not stand up to judicial scrutiny. They are undermining the marketplace of ideas (violating Article 19 of the Constitution) and depriving citizens of diverse points of view. The PUCL or another civil rights organization may want to sue them.
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for a common kannadiga on street or for all average learned kannadigas ( who are majority ) SUN TV doesnt make much difference if it is there or not .
Well talking about expressive freedom arent we talking about an idealistic society ? Which country in this world has that ? even in US the news channel are biased and Marans who control the SUN network are not the champions of this expressive freedom .
Remember how they blacked out Jaya T.V on several occassions ? ..
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Nikhil,
I am not an expert on this subject, but are the cable operators bound to carry those channels? Unless the operator is bound by contract with the content providor to provide that channel, can anyone force them to carry it?
I think by this argument you could sue any cable operator in India for not carrying say VH1 or some other American cable channel. This is probably the same reason why the cable operators hold subscribers to ransom during cricket matches when they black out some channels due to higher fees – there’s no legal recourse.
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Gokulam, cable operators in America are required by the Federal Communciations Commission to carry local and broadcast channels. The FCC’s regulation of cable was upheld by the U.S. Supreme Court in the Turner Broadcasting v. FCC cases of 1994 and 1997. I cannot imagine the Indian courts not doing the same if our legislators were to enact a law that required cable operators to provide diversity in channel access. Indeed, diversity of expression is a central intention of Article 19 of the Indian Constitution.
Even without such a law, the courts would be willing to, via Article 19, keep cable operators from arbitrarily excluding certain legal channels based on language or content. I dunno about cricket, but banning a channel because it was Tamil or Oriya or Hindi would definitely go against the spirit of Article 19.
If there are lawyers in our Churumuri group, I’d like to hear more.
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In India, unless things have changed, the only local (and broadcast) channels are all Doordarshan stations.
While the intention of Article 19 is laudable, I don’t think it is practical to include every single channel everywhere in India. People in Orissa e.g. have no reason to surf through scores of Kannada, Tamil, Punjabi, Marathi channels.
I am not arguing here about the merits or demerits of the de facto ban on Tamil channels. Just that the ban could be eminently defendable.
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Gokulam, you are right in that the Constitution’s primary intent is to protect us from governmental transgressions against freedom of expression, NOT those by private parties such as cable companies.
Nevertheless, turns out that the Indian government already has legal wherewithal similar to the FCC’s. I just got off the phone with my attorney friend Rajiv Wagh of Mumbai, who’d like to inform Churumuri readers that via the 2002 amendments of the Cable Television Networks (Regulation) Act of 1995 the government can compel cable operators to carry certain channels, or specify the number of channels to be offered in the basic package.
See sections 2 and 3 reproduced here: http://www.indiantelevision.com/indianbrodcast/legalreso/y2k2/catvamend2k2.htm).
So the question is why isn’t the government acting? Yesterday it was NDTV, today it is Sun TV, tomorrow it could well be a Kannada station that cable unions arbitrarily choose to black out. I think citizens deserve better than to be held ransom to the whims of cable operators. The airwaves, at least, belong to the public — as declared by the Supreme Court of India in Secretary of I&B v. CAB (1995).
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Everyone knows it is hard to get non-Tamil channels/movies in Tamilnadu. Should we do the same? Just because we see someone eating sh*t, should we do the same? Let’s not turn Kaveri issue into a language issue. Most of us in Karnataka have behaved in a dignified manner. It is a few vested interests who are trying to exploit the situation.
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Dear subbu first thing one can get udaya in chennai because it belongs to maran. Ana now on the point of banning the channel adhu thappe alla ee kelasa yavagalo aagabekithu eega aagide ashte.
When there is a problem kannda channels are blocked in chennai also. SCVnetwork blocks the channel which they feel it is not worth watching or say it is broad casting anything against them. Whether iit is kannada telugu or hindi. When these people don’t want to share their signals for DTH services(which is actually against law) why can’t cable operators block their signal in Karnataka
As DG mentioned for a common kannadiga it hardly matters whether he gets sun tv or not
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non-sun kannada channels are not available in madras,while non-sun telugu and malayalam channels are not available in madras.udaya is thrust on kannadigas.
if only sun is banned in KA,one can drive a wedge between the tamil channels.and also avoid censure.But karu-maaran being so powerful,is this possible.
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correction:non sun telugu and malayalam channls are available.
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The cauvery dispute has been simmering for over 50 years or even more. It was the mistake every spineless chief ministers of Mysore/Karnataka to keep the dispute going and growing without bottling in the genie. The best time to solve this to Mysore’s advantage was when Congress was in power in 1950s and accommodation then was possible. The central government was all congress. One chief engineer in 1950s foresaw the problem of keeping this dispute on without resolution, and had the courage to suggest it to Kengal Hanumanthiah. Nothing substantial was done. Chickens have come home to roost now.
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Kaveri dispute or not, Tamil movies have no place in Bengalooru or any other place in Karnataka. Tamils have a separate state in which to screen their movies.
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Can someone tell me how many Kannada Channels are beamed in Tamizhnadu and in particular Madras?
I would like to know how many Kannada movies are released in Tamizhnadu and which theatres in Madras show Kannada movies.
If Kannadigas (good in number) can live in TN without Kannada movies or Kannada TV Channels, why not Tamizhians in Karnataka live without Tamizh!!
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hi guys,
first of all.. a great blog. even sensitive issues like cauvery and kannadiga-tamil problem is treated sensibly here. no cheap fights. so good to see reason take control over rage unlike the ugly discussions in rediff
I am from the heartland of tamil nadu, near Madurai. Though my official mother tongue is telugu, I like tamil very much and very much a tamilian by heart. I have also lived in Bangalore for more than 2 years and have some perspective as well..
ok, @ Tegginamane,
Kannada channels are shown in a small town like ours in the heartland of TN. you know why? because there is a good number of Kannada speaking people here. The logic is simple – where there is demand the supply will be created by people willing to make money.
Thats exactly what is not happening in bangalore by blocking suntv. there is demand and supply is being blocked.
as for as kannada movies in TN, lets accept not even my Kannadiga friends watch them in Bangalore. They prefer Hindi, English or Tamil movies. The logic – the quality of the product matters. Right now Tamil movies are far better than Kannada movies. I am not saying this will be like this for ever. All I am saying is if the incredible talent in your state is reflected in the quality of movies you make, then no one can stop them being watched in TN.
Also friends like any normal Kannadiga, the Tamilian also is a tolerant and kind man. cheers!
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Hi to ever one,
i have read the comments from
dr ramesh Says:
March 6th, 2007 at 8:32 pm
its not that kannada cinemas are not allowed in tamilnadu
in fact you people are not interested to watch kannda movies in bangalore
how can you expect from us
better try to take make good cinemas and then ask this
or else come and build a cinema complex exclusively for kannada cinemas and we assure to take care else
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Karnataka should first have its own channel. Still it will be difficult to overtake Udaya. That Kumaraswamy channel… dont even remember the name!… is being watched by some JDS workers like Dr.Ramesh.
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Hi Everyone.. Buy a Tata Sky or a Dish TV or a Sun DTH. It is a good investment considering future posibilities.
But Beware KRV will enter your bedrooms to see what you are watching!
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One has to know the others view points to get the better of them.
Blocking the TV channels, may be later the newspapers, magazines and books are symptoms of helplessness.
What about satellite TVs like Tata Sky, DTH and Sun TV?
How are they going to blocked?
And finally, are we going to make this a hermit kingdom?
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“Boycott this, boycott that” doesnt work. This negative legacy from Indias’ freedom movement needs to be stopped. Today media distribution is utterly decentralized, one can always get movies, news, songs, content in many ways.
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Am a half Kannadiga, half-tamil. I speak Tamil with my wife. On my wife’s side everyone speaks Kannada. I talk Kannada with my children.
I generally agree with Sathya and Vittal. Let the market place decide whats good enough to be shown. Trust me, if its a good business decision, you would have at least a few theaters screening Kannada films. Believe me there quite a few Kannada speaking business people in the Western side of Tamilnadu.
If they dint screen Kannada movies, then it was because they didnt expect to make money in doing that.
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First of all, we should understand the need. Why Bangalore is so popular in Karnataka ? When there is a issue between Karnataka and Tamilnadu, why Bangalore is targeted in Karnataka ? Why not other cities ?? It is because, Tamil population largely residing in that place. And that is because of IT jobs in major. And we have to accept the fact that Bangalore is considered metropolitan because people from different parts of the country reside there. If all the tamilians decide to move out of Bangalore, more than 50% of the IT jobs will be vacant. All the Kanadigas can enjoy the vacancy positions. But wait a minute, will this be true ?? NO. If the kannadigas are competent than Tamilians, there wouldn’t have been a scenario of Tamilians coming to Bangalore to work. Think about it. with no Tamilians or any other non-kannadigas, there is no Bangalore today. So, when they talk about the Issue that is related to Water, there are politicians to handle it, not the general public. When more people come to Bangalore, there is more business for Bangalore. Together, Bangalore grows and the nation grows. Politicians are using the uncultered minds for their benefits. So, do not try to mix up things here.
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Udhaya,
>>NO. If the kannadigas are competent than Tamilians, there wouldn’t have been a scenario of Tamilians coming to Bangalore to work. Think about it. with no Tamilians or any other non-kannadigas, there is no Bangalore today>>
I do not agree with this. If you look at any major IT firm the HR person will inevitably be a Tamil or a Mallu or a Telugu guy. So where is the recruitment of kannada guys happening in these firms even if there are capable kannadigas to fill the post. I know for a fact, that Wipro used to hire ITI trained guys from tamilnadu for its mysore factory, even though there are a lot of ITI’s in karanataka where you can recruit from. The factory manager used to go to interview on campus in tamilnadu ITI’s for this purpose. So it is not as black and white as you are saying. The first thing Tata IBM did when it started the company was to hire a tamil HR manager who later on filled Tata IBM with tamils. This was the same story in the 50s and 60s when public secotr industries ITI,HMT, HAL were started in bangalore.
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So, do we think that people were not wise enough to hire a Kannadiga HR personnel in any of the major firms ?
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Udaya,
It has nothing to do with wisdom, it has everything to do with pulling the strings to fill these places. FYI, the guys who are recruited for these posts do not have any exemplary qualities that their kannadiga counterparts do not have. Can you tell me the reason why Taj/sheraton group of hotels names its hotel in tamilnadu (taj coramandel, chola sheraton etc) and andhra (i guess it is taj kakatiya or something) based on local names, while it choses Taj REsidency for the one in bangalore?
:)
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Udhaya,
The argument here is why do the tamil hr guy patronise people from his state over the people who are local to the company even though there are a lot of qualified people are available locally. Dont you think he should be impartial when he is in that position ?
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Taj Residency is named to support Bangalore city to maintain its Metropolitan status. While Taj Residency as a entity is able to understand the differences, why not kannadigas in Bangalore not able to accept the fact ? Breaking the theatres, tamilnadu buses, attacking tamilians, etc., are against humanity. I would like to reiterate, politicians are provoking poor public. People are not able to best judge the situation. If one can say, because of someone else, he is not able to come up in life, then it implies that he doesnt believe in ones self.
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Udhaya,
>>Bangalore city to maintain its Metropolitan status>>
Are you implying that Madras is not of metropolitan status. The point is the heritage and history of kannada and karnataka are given a go by while naming taj residency (residency road by the way was named by the british) where as people are extra sensitive to the sensibilities of tamils and telugus to name the hotels after their kings, how fair is that?
Politicians provoking public is only one part of the problem, do you think people will get provoked if there is no genuine grouse whatsoever. You have still not answered my question about the HR guy being partial to his people while recruiting.
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If you think HR can be partial in such big companies, none of those companies can survive. I cannot agree with that. If someone is recruiting people on one particular race/community/gender/language, you will be questioned immediately. These days, everybody has certain fair labor rules in place. No body can be an exception. What you say is wrong.
And when you think people will not be provoked without a genuine grouse, then what do you name for the thing that is currently happening in Bangalore ? Tamilnadu claiming the ownership for what they own in TamilNadu, is a issue to Karnataka ?? In what ways ?
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Udhaya,
There is proof of these companies surviving and thriving. I have given 2 examples in my comments. I know this from first hand experience. The fair labour rules are always there, the problem is only with the implementation of these rules in letter and spirit.
Tamilnadu is claiming a disputed subjudice piece of land as its own. They have to wait till the matter is settled by the supreme court. Nobody is questioning the right of tamilnadu to use its water for drinking purpose. Also, MK using the opportunity of a situation when there is no popular elected government in Karnataka to rake up this issue is what people are questioning. Dharmapuri and Krishnagiri have been perennially having water problems, what is the urgency of this project now? Also, have you ever wondered why TN government chose to develop hosur which has acute water shortage as a industrial town? Think about it and you will realise the mischief being played by TN government with karnataka.
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Its all shit out here!!
Politcians make moves to gain attention and see how many fools react to it.. ha ha ha..
first go out there and vote man, you would not have idiots ruling your states and of course the country. India is a stiched nation where many independent countries are stitched together to be a country. Kannadigas and Tamils have already forgoten they are Indians, fools.
All you guys can do is CRIB n do nothing about it..INDIA WILL NEVER CHANGE.. we will alwas be average human beings with everyone leaughing at each other.
Jai Hind.
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This is not a debate about Sun TV. It is a debate propelled by genetic identity asserting itself. It is a debate based on perceived injustice by Tamilians that Kannadigas have to suffer. (And it is written very well.. except that last comment which reminds me of Rediff)
Let’s stop for a moment, to define who is a Kannadiga, or who is a Tamilian or a Bengali or a Maharashtrian or a Gujarati. And why we have such strong egos about people from our own state or language. We could trace it back to the times when distinctions between races, communities and languages developed. Were we really distinct tribes then, with distinct evolutionary patterns, as we are today? Our language barriers are really indicators of tribal or racial differences of antiquity, and we need to think about whether or why we need to insist on maintaining them today, and how relevant they will be to future generations.
Poles, Germans, Italians, Irish would never come together in their European homeland, but have lived happily and peacefully in the US for a century, because they have left behind their ethnic identities when they migrated to the US. And also because they have intermarried to an extent that few can say today that they are ethnically from one European group. But as Indians, we in India (and in the US) are still Punjabis, Gujaratis, Telugus, Tamils, Maharashtrians, Malayalees, etc.. and continue to marry within our communities and castes, and continue our individual races and ethnicities for posterity.
But the biggest difference by any measure, that I see in any cosmopolitan area in India or abroad is between the North and the South. Please stop making distinctions between Kannadiga and Tamilian, and pay attention to how the North treats the South. A North Indian from UP once arrogantly told me – you guys in the South have always been ruled by the North and will always be. The North Indian politician looks at the South as a cash cow, to be milked for its capabilities and exploited as much as possible, and to be ridiculed and insulted behind their back, without giving them representation in the government of India. The government, both elected and adminstrative has now become the private property of the two most populous states – UP and Bihar. The population of the South has stabilized, that of the North continues to explode. In any democracy, he who has the maximum children gets the maximum vote. You can see where things are headed towards.
There are tremendous cultural, ethnic and racial gaps between these two regions of the country. To an extent I am surprised India is one nation. We have the Brits to thank for that. It is a racial gap that can never be bridged. Not in a million years.
But as the so called “Indian” says, let’s all continue suffering in silence because all “we” can do is crib about it.
I myself am half Kannadiga and half Maharashtrian, living in Mumbai. Maharashtra is another wierd state where the people are not distinctly a part of the South, nor a part of the North, nor a part of the Northwest – Gujarat/Rajasthan/Sindh/Punjab and least of all, a part of the East (Bengal/Orissa/Assam). Which leads to cultural clashes in Mumbai, Pune, Nasik and other cities. It can be quite painful to see all that goes on. Especially all the stuff written about HR and recruitment policies.. No city in India can beat the level of corporate discrimination between communities that you see in Mumbai, because there are simply so many more variations here than anywhere else.
Anyway, the point of my rant was to ask you, the blogger or the reader to look beyond the apparent injustice in the Kannadiga vs Tamilian argument, which is but a momentary one, and think about the bigger picture, where the north and the south are joined together in one strange and momentary marriage of convenience, and how long it will last. Despite the differences, I see it lasting a long time like a typical Indian arranged marriage, built as it often is, on silent acceptance of mutual suffering. And since there is no choice, whether it would be wiser to accept and rationalize our lot for generations to come by coming out of our self-imposed ethno-cultural shells. Especially given the population imbalances and irreversible trends of internal migration, which cannot be more apparent anywhere than in my home city of Bombay.
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