Date: 5/7/2005
BHUTAN BANNED "BUCKWAAS & WAH-HAYAAT ISLAMIC" BOLLYWOOD FILMS. WELL DONE! WELL DONE BHUTAN! If one is sovereign, he can block the trash that Bollywood is churning out for the labourers and coolies of India. The Hindu intelligentsia is fed up to the brim on denigration of Hindu culture, history and way of life by loafers like KHAN brothers with shallow and clearly anti Hindu twist to the plots. One clear example that all of us know is to give a sacred Hindu name and then make him a villain in a movie. Some titles are also offensive like the "Buddha of Suburbia." Why it could not be called "FATIMA OF MECCA" and then on with the same lewd love story? One was shocked seeing villains named Arjun, Bhim and so on, receiving profuse abuse because they were given the roles of villains and then subjected to abuse and misuse by public and police. The Indian audiences are not sophisticated and are used to laugh at own degradation. The other instance is to find a Hindu maiden, maltreated by her husband (called Rama), who then runs off to a MAULVI or MULLAH with goatee beard for being comforted and sheltered. 29 Indian States dare not put a ban on Bollywood. Some are ten times the size of Bhutan. This is what happens if one part is sovereign EAST Bengal and the other a "servant" West Bengal. How about ALL THE 29 STATES in India demanding freedom like Belgium and Holland who are in ONE union like the European Union or the United States. "Union" and "United" means that States as far apart as East Punjab and Kerala can SIMILARLY be united yet with own heads held high, not under the foot of any foreign Rashtramata or Rashtrapati. Congratulations Bhutan, you left the Indian ministers, media and censors shocked, bewildered and wondering. Freedom means to think with one's own head and not live under the Will of Khans of Bollywood and Sonia of New Delhi. When will the "elephant sized" Indian states dare to follow YOUR example? ,..................================= POSTED MESSAGE ON INTERNET: News channels, others showing soaps dubbed ‘culturally degrading’ NEW DELHI, MAY 6: While India’s busy trying to get Nepal to lift media restrictions, neighbouring Bhutan has sprung a surprise on New Delhi by blocking some Indian news and regional channels on grounds that they have a ‘‘bad social and cultural’’ influence on its citizens. Stumped by the move that came into effect on April 1, the Indian Embassy in Thimpu has taken up the matter with Bhutanese authorities after reports that a dozen or more channels would be taken off the air. While diplomats try to make sense of this, South Block officials feel that Bhutan’s decision cannot be equated with what was happening in Nepal. It’s learnt that some of the Hindi news channels and entertainment channels, mostly from the South, and others showing popular soap operas have been blocked. While some Indian channels are still being aired, sources said, the fear is that they too may be removed. This apparently flows from a 2003-04 media impact study carried out by the Bhutan Communication Authority (BCA), which concluded that many foreign channels were a ‘‘bad influence’’ on Bhutanese social and cultural values. In fact, the decision to remove some channels was taken sometime in March when BCA Director Phub Tshering was quoted in Bhutanese dailies as saying, ‘‘We heard a lot of public concerns of children not performing well in studies because of TV, concerns of cultural degradation... (so) we decided to reduce the channels.’’ There was, however, no criteria outlined on the basis of which the channels would be selected. As it turns out, Indian channels like Zee News, Aaj Tak, Sun TV along with a bouquet of international channels like FTV and Ten Sports are no longer being aired in Bhutan. The list of channels was reportedly drawn up through discussions between the Bhutan government’s media department, BCA and the Association of Private Cable Operators. Thimpu is said to be keen on also promoting production of local programmes through this move. For its part, India has not voiced outright protest to the decision. It has pointed out that there are several Indians in Bhutan who patronise Indian news and entertainment channels, and such a move deprives them of information and restricts their entertainment options. This was conveyed last month but there is still no response. What has peeved New Delhi is that Korean channel Arirang, Chinese CCTV and Japanese channel NHK, all of which have lesser viewership than Indian channels, continue to be aired. India has so far desisted from upping the ante and has confined itself to underlining the larger viewership of Indian channels. Though Foreign Secretary Shyam Saran was in Bhutan last month to brief King Jigme Singye Wangchuk on the visit of the Chinese Premier, the matter did not come up as India felt that this could be sorted out through regular diplomatic channels. But with no change in situation, concerns are gradually growing in New Delhi. Meanwhile, the Bhutan Embassy here said there was no plan to target Indian channels. According to Deputy Chief of Mission Thinley Dorji, the Embassy had no specific information on Indian channels not being shown in Bhutan. ‘‘We will have to check that, but the government is not directly involved in choosing the channels that are to be shown,’’ he maintained. .............................000000000
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