Sacrifice of Indian culture

THE EDITOR: I had the misfortune of witnessing the WABC 103FM Mela on TTT. While the occasion was intended to celebrate the 10th anniversary of 103FM, it seemed more like the sacrifice of Indian culture on the altar of political expediency.

As it were what passed for chutney was nothing more than vulgarity, semi nudity, crude lyrics, and of course, the alcoholic overtones of “rum till I die.”One notes that as a result of the ongoing efforts of WABC 103FM to win audience listernership, the average chutney routine is now a scandalous wining exercise, laced with hip hop, dub, and soca. The themes were as pathetic as they were senseless. Prominent among the disappointments were Ms Nisha Baksh’s semi nude appearance on stage, which had her looking more like a stripper than hot chutney diva. And her performance of “ah doh want no dahl belly — Ah want a bony man” confirmed this. Her routine went on forever as Ms Baksh was joined by Andy Singh and his hip hop nonsense. This duo’s routine extended into “Shamilla (take way mih man).” Indeed, people who took their children to the show to see Indian culture in action must surely have been disappointed. Both Avidesh Samaroo and Vedesh Sookhoo should know better than to lead their people down the road to obesity, alcohol and suicide.

Not content with this display, the concert took a political twist as Culture Minister Penelope Beckles took the stage to convey her congratulations. From her laudatory speech, one noted that she must have lived elsewhere all of her life. While she heaped praise on Indian radio stations, she never stopped once to consider her party’s animosity to Indian culture as the Mastana Bahar experience is the most profound example. She got a CD compilation which I am sure is in the same place as the Bhagavad Gita Mr Manning got from the NCIC. Moreso, one is deeply grieved that the Minister would request “Rum Till I Die” since this song, despite a favourite with the non-Indian community, contains loud and potent alcoholic/suicidal overtones which are devastating and should be a source of shame for the Indian community. It was abundantly clear that when they first debuted on the airwaves, 103FM breathed new life into Indian culture, and imbued a new sense of self confidence among Indian people as instead of begging for audio space, Indian culture now had its own space.

In closing, I wish to draw 103FM’s attention to the one year celebrations of the HCU Communications Group held at the Aranguez Savannah about two weeks ago. This is a good example of Indian culture maturing whilst making no compromise to accommodate the nonsense that wants to find its way into our cherished musical customs. Maybe 103FM should have hired HCU to do its Mela.

MS LYSTRA MARAJH
Glencoe