Chandigarh: Punjab, which has seen a virtual explosion of songs glorifying guns and gangsters, is all set to empower the state culture commission to rein in erring singers and lyricists.
Cultural affairs and tourism minister Navjot Singh Sidhu announced the creation of the ‘Punjab Culture Commission’ last month, which will monitor and recommend action against such singers.
Renowned Punjabi poet Dr Surjit Patar, who has been named chairman of the commission, said, “The commission will be functional after an Act for its creation is drafted and passed by the state assembly,” he said.
Chief minister Capt. Amarinder Singh will be its patron-in-chief. Apart from regulating Punjabi songs, the commission will have powers to recommend to the police to act against “repeat offenders”.
“However, in the interim a state advisory board will start working with the same aim. This board will include singers, poets, lyricists, intellectuals, writers and others from related fields,” said Patar, who is also the chairman Punjab Kala Parishad.
The board will hold its first meeting on 4 May.
“We are not in favour of creating a censor board. An advisory board will be more acceptable to start with,” Patar said.
“The board will work towards encouraging those singing meaningful lyrics. We intend to generate a counter narrative of sorts to what is happening,” he added.
Tackling ‘vulgar songs’
Initially, the board will take up complaints against what is seen as vulgar and objectionable songs being played at public places. Patar said people routinely complained against bawdy numbers being played in public and private buses.
Apart from vulgarity, the Punjabi music world is shelling out songs which glorify gangsters, guns and violence. These songs are hugely popular on social media and young singers looking for immediate success are falling prey to the glamour and fan following.
Mankirt Aulakh, 27, is a case in point. His song and video ‘pind saara gangland baneya’ released by Speed Records in May last year has 87 million views. Similarly, his song ‘jailan cho phone aan ge’, released in August last year, has 28 million views. In September, he released his next song ‘badnaam’ that has crossed 125 million views.
“What is being produced for social media goes almost unchecked. Not just the singer or the lyricist but the producer is also equally responsible,” said Patar.
“They want quick returns and encourage singers to sing what they feel sells fast,” Patar added.
An initiative by Sidhu
Sidhu, a former cricketer and a showman himself, has decided to be tough. “The culture commission would be authorised to take stringent action against those singers or artistes polluting the cultural scene of the state through vulgar, double meaning or violent inciting songs,” he said during the announcement of the creation of the commission.
“The commission would first issue show-cause notices, then call the singers for counseling and still if they don’t desist, then as a last resort the option of getting an FIR registered against the singer would also be open to the commission,” Sidhu said.
“The Information Technology Act, 2000 has relevant provisions to take action in this regard,” he added.
Even some singers support the move. “Every song before it reaches a widespread audience should go through a process of checking. But the exercise of censorship is not an easy one,” said Jasbir Jassi, a Punjabi singer.
“The same word can be used well in a song and it could also mean something dirty in another. Those who do it will have to be both subjective and objective in their approach,” he said.
Cops told to counsel singers
State police claim that Punjabi songs do have a role in pushing the youth into violence. In February, district police heads were asked to hold one-to-one meetings with singers asking them to sing ‘clean’ songs.
A proposal to set up a censor board to regulate Punjabi songs and videos was first mooted by the then culture minister Sarwan Singh Phillaur in August 2012 but it never took off.
The Punjab and Haryana High Court is also hearing a PIL on curbing vulgar lyrics in Punjabi songs and playing of loud and raunchy numbers at marriages and other celebrations. The case will be heard next on 17 May.