Dourdarshan

Well after the zamindari system had been abolished, former landowners continued to behave like zamindars, expecting not only the economic and social benefits the title had once entailed but also the regular genuflections from all around.

Well after the zamindari system had been abolished, former landowners continued to behave like zamindars, expecting not only the economic and social benefits the title had once entailed but also the regular genuflections from all around. Government of India circa 2006 is keen to show that it isn’t the anachronistic zamindar collecting hafta that it was during the hoary days of nationalisation. Which is why the existence of the precious institution called the Prasar Bharati. Unfortunately, unlike what its signboard says, Prasar Bharati continues to be as ‘independent’ a body as Doordarshan is ‘just another’ television channel. As the latest wrangle over cricket telecast rights highlights once again, the State wants private channels to do ‘the good job’ and offer it to Doordarshan on bended knee.

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India-Pakistan cricket, being the television spectator sport that it is, is commercially a big deal for television channels, so the desire to share live feed with Ten Sports is perfectly understandable. But what is completely beyond the understanding of any reasonable mind is why Doordarshan, so keen to bring the cricket telecasts to every city, town and village that may not have access to Ten Sports, is unwilling to pay Rs 25 crore for sharing the feed. The old trick employed by the government to get telecast rights for gratis (or near gratis) has been to pull out the ‘public interest/national interest’ rabbit out of its hat. The Downlinking Guidelines, 2005, make it mandatory for all holders of telecast rights to share live feed of important national events with Doordarshan. The only trouble with that arrangement is that it’s the Government of India — surprise! — that decides what constitutes an ‘important national event’. So if there is a sudden plea from all corners of this television-watching country to see Sholay or Kaun Banega Crorepati? or any of the soaps aired on private channels, tough luck private channels, we’re suddenly talking ‘national interest’ here.

The courts have, for the time being, shown sense in stalling the government’s bullying tactics. As for the unfortunate matter of most Indians not being able to follow the Test matches live from Pakistan, the mandarins in Prasar Bharati will try and paint a pair of horns on the head of these ‘entertainment-denying’, ‘uncaring’, ‘profit-obsessed’ private TV channels. The truth, however, is that we all know who is to blame.