On April 6, 2023, the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY) guidelines notified the Information Technology Amendment Rules, 2023. They cover the intermediary the Guidelines and Digital Media Ethics Code. This amendment has given MeitY powers to notify a fact-checking unit of the central government. The fact-check unit will identify fake, false, or misleading online content related to any business of the Central Government.
This reignited the debate around freedom of speech and the power of the Union Government to take action in the interest of the public at large. The opposition has opened a political front against the Modi government, alleging that the new amendment is intended to curb freedom of speech, gag the media, and trample on contrarian viewpoints.
Further, they have been creating a ruckus, claiming that the Modi government has imposed an undeclared Emergency. In the same breath, they have been hailing the previous Congress administration as a beacon of liberty, fraternity, inclusivity, tolerance for other ideologies, and near-absolute freedom of speech.
Going ahead, they portray the former Prime Minister JL Nehru as the epitome of these righteous virtues. But is that the case? Was JL Nehru really tolerant and liberal towards other ideas, thought processes, cultures, traditions, and art forms? The simple and short answer is NO. Here is a detailed example of his cynical and brutal oppression of the contrarian voice.
All India Radio banned Bollywood songs in 1952
In 1952, the so-called liberal Nehru government imposed a sweeping ban on Bollywood songs, making the bizarre claim that it was ‘‘ruining the young generation’. Yes, you heard that right. Under the pretext of not letting Western culture ruin our generations, the Nehru government took this totalitarian measure. In fact, this true story was briefly touched in the recently released web series Jubilee,” which presented the fictionalised true story in a Cold War setting.
In 1952, All India Radio (AIR) banned Hindi film music from its airwaves. Sri Lanka-based Radio Ceylon struck the right chord, seized this big opportunity, and drew the audience towards their Binaca Geetmala. The show was hosted by Ameen Sayani, who became the saviour for Hindi film music lovers.
But why did the AIR ban Hindi film music in the first place? Reports from those times explain that the then Minister of Information and Broadcasting, Mr. BV Keskar, believed that Hindi film music was “westernised” and Indians needed a dose of homegrown classical music.
As per the Hindu, he said, “We must make ourselves familiar with our traditional music.” Further, the Minister believed that the appreciation of classical music had “fallen” and was “on the point of extinction,”. He added that the popularity of film music was ruining the younger generation, as they were being influenced by non-Indian elements.
Initially, Mr. Keskar suggested that all songs that would be aired on AIR should be screened by the organisation. And added that if a song is played, it would not carry the name of the film, as AIR would not advertise for the movies. Within no time, the movie producers cancelled the music rights given to AIR, and shortly there was no Hindi film music to be heard on the radio.
However, Sri Lanka-based Radio Ceylon had started its Hindi music station a few years ago. After the authoritarian ban by the Nehru government, Radio Ceylon became active and fully capitalised on the opportunity to attract lovers of Hindi music. During this period, Binaca Geetmala gained widespread popularity as the host, Ameen Sayani, presented the top songs of the day with interesting facts.
In 2012, Ameen Sayani stated that Radio Ceylon was in the right place at the right time. He added, “They (Radio Ceylon staff) knew that All India Radio had banned film music.” So, the decision to start a Hindi service then must have been deliberate.
Soon, there was widespread opposition to the Nehru government’s decision, and with the unpredicted popularity of Radio Ceylon, AIR finally decided to launch Vividh Bharti in 1957, which would play Hindi film songs. It was decided that nearly 80% of the time allocated for songs on the radio station will be for Hindi film music.
The Jubilee web series recounts this incident, but in a fictional manner. It shows that the ban on Hindi film music was a result of the ongoing Cold War between the USA and the USSR.
It suggests that the USSR wanted to use Indian film stars for pushing its propaganda, and this gained support from a section of the Indian government. And when the Indian filmmakers did not comply with their whims and fancies, their music was banned by AIR.
In retaliation, filmmakers took their business to Radio Ceylon, which was ironically backed by the USA. The whimsical ban of the Nehru government ended with the introduction of Vividh Bharti, which played Hindi film music.
Also read: Nehru’s Historic Blunder: Why Balochistan Remains Disconnected from India
Real history will shame many
Now, whenever the left ecosystem is confronted with such hard facts, they find refuse in the baseless argument that there is no need to harp back to history and instead we should focus on the present and look ahead in the future. But the fact remains that the debate over finding the right balance between the freedom of citizens and the power of government to make laws for the common good of the public is continual and ever-evolving, and history can’t be written off. In fact, history should be an integral part of our decision-making process.
And mind you, this is just one example, and there are a plethora of examples along these lines. So, now it is up to you to decide whether Mr. Nehru was really the epitome of these righteous virtues or whether the system fabricated and altered stories to create a false aura around him. I leave you with just one saying:
When you have the system, you have the power to hide facts and pass on half-truths, propaganda, and even falsehoods as the only truth, and when the Mughals can be presented as “great rulers”, then how can JL Nehru be left behind in getting undeserved praises?
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