Walking a tightrope

Maya Ranganathan

The Karnataka bandh called on Monday will soon pass into oblivion but for one fact. Activists protesting the ¿unfair pro-Tamil Nadu verdict¿ of the Cauvery Water Tribunal not only delayed trains, shut down shops and burnt vehicles to show their displeasure, but also blacked out non-Kannada television channels.

On Sunday (Feb 11, 2007), the checklist that was part of the page 1 lead in Times of India, Mangalore edition, stated ?all TV channels except Kannada ones will be off the air?. On Monday, the day of the bandh, TOI informed, ?hotels, commercial establishments, educational institutions will remain closed; theatres will not screen films and all channels other than Kannada ones may be off the air.?

It is debatable if non-Kannada channels indeed went off the air all over the State, or even all over capital Bangalore at any point of time on Monday. But what is interesting is the inference begging to be drawn from the proposed ban on non-Kannada TV channels as part of the protest. While in linguistically-defined states it is perhaps natural that the language issue is drawn into politics, equating language chauvinism with interests of the State defies all logic.

Is it to be concluded that Kannada channels alone can be trusted to speak in the interests of the State? Is ideology then dependent on the language of the medium? In the event of even Kannada films not having been shown in theatres, is to be concluded that all Kannada television channels are not entertainment-oriented but uphold the lofty ideals of information-oriented journalism?  

In this confusing scenario, Udaya TV offers an interesting study. Owned by the Sun TV network, it could have become the target of the Kannadigas¿ ire against Tamil Nadu considering that not only is Udaya owned by a Tamil entrepreneur, but the entrepreneur Kalanidhi Maran happens to be the grand nephew of Tamil Nadu chief minister M Karunanidhi and brother of the powerful Union Communications Minister Dayanidhi Maran, who have both been accused of swaying the Tribunal to decide in favour of Tamil Nadu.

However, perhaps due to its lingua franca, Udaya TV faced no problems even when Sun TV has been off the air for nearly a week in some places in Karnataka. A quick check around Bangalore revealed that its 1 p.m news was very much on the air on Monday.  Giving a detailed report of the bandh, the news featured prominently activists from the Kannada Rajya Sahitya Parishad and the Kannada Film Federation, organizations defined by language rather than ideologies.

Thus, an incensed Kannada Chaluvali Vatal Paksha MLA Vattal Nagaraj was shown in the 1 p.m Udaya News on Monday declaring, ?Kabini is our own? and taking the issue of water-sharing to court was in vain, while Sara Govind of the Kannada Film Federation was shown wondering just how Karunanidhi had bribed the lawyers! Images of the late Kannada film thespian Rajkumar¿s family extending support to the bandh were also flashed.

Contrary to the parochial view that newspapers have taken (¿Polite but partisan¿ by Darius Nakoonwala, 12/2/07) the Sun TV network with interests in many states seems to have learnt to walk the tightrope rather successfully. If on the day after the Tribunal award, Sun TV in Tamil stopped short of making interpretations, its Kannada channel Udaya TV took a cautious stand. Featuring all prominent Kannada activists it seems to have almost taken a pro-Karnataka stance. If one could only overlook Sun TV Network¿s business interests, this perhaps is objective and fair reporting at its best!