Govt order telecom companies to replace word 'gaana' for hymns

The Union ministry of Communications and Information Technology has directed all telecom companies to use specific words like prayers, hymns or shabads instead of using the word 'gaana' while offering devotional caller tunes to its customers.

The Union ministry of Communications and Information Technology has directed all telecom companies to use specific words like prayers, hymns or shabads instead of using the word 'gaana' while offering devotional caller tunes to its customers.

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The telecom companies have 45 days timeframe to make this change.

These directions from ministry came on July 18 after the Punjab and Haryana high court ordered the central government and Bharti Airtel to ensure that the telecom companies should stop using the word 'gaana' (song) for a 'shabad' which is played as a caller tune in mobile phones, and initiate corrective measures.

Gurjit Singh, a resident of village Brahampur in district Jalandhar, had filed a petition in this regard. He said, in a press conference here on Saturday "I had filed a writ before the high court to stop telecom firms from describing shabad gurbani, hymns as songs for caller tones as their description as such lowers the dignity and hurts the religious feelings of people at large."