Punjabi crooners are still saying “yo! yo!” to vulgarity in songs. It may not sound music to your ears, but Punjabi singers are singing in praise of vulgarity, in the absence of any check to this menace.
Mulled almost a year ago by the Punjab Government to delete the noise of indecency from Punjabi music, the proposal to set up its own ‘Censor Board’ for Punjabi songs and videos glorifying vulgarity and indecency is yet to see the light of the day. Even as the proposal was fast-forwarded following the nationwide outrage over Punjabi rapper ‘Yo! Yo!’ Honey Singh’s songs, nothing has been done in this direction. In fact, the Punjab Government is taking refuge in the ongoing judicial proceedings in the Punjab and Haryana High Court to justify the delay in formation of the Censor Board.
The proposal to set up the Board was first mooted by Punjab Cultural Affairs Minister Sarwan Singh Phillaur in August 2012. At that time, the State received a dressing down by the Central Board of Film Certification (CBFC) dubbing it as a ‘separatist move’. Since then the State has only been creating noise, instead of acting upon it. Even as the proposal was forwarded by the Minister to place before the Cabinet, it could not come up before discussion. The main object of the Board is to screen the content shown in videos and the lyrics so that the censored content reaches the public. “The proposal is there, and we are also considering it. It is only that the matter related to this is under the High Court’s scanner, and we are waiting for their direction. We cannot do anything right now as the matter is sub judice,” Punjab Principal Secretary, Cultural Affairs, SS Channy told The Pioneer. Phillaur, while putting forth the proposal, regretted that vulgar words or lyrics used in the various latest songs by some particular singers these days and the obscenity in the video content of Punjabi songs and movies were diverting the mind and actions of youth from the basic ethos of Punjab.
He added that the real Punjabi culture lies in the folk songs, folk instruments, drama, literature and the rich heritage of Punjab. The State Government has expressed helplessness in censoring the content as everything is just a click away — available on the internet. “We have held three meetings with the intellectuals to figure out a mechanism to deal with such songs. But, how do we check each song when everything is available on the internet. It’s not easy to keep a tab on download trends, and control the internet at large,” Phillaur had said, while talking with The Pioneer.
Steps taken
Setting up a censor board was not the only step taken in this direction. The State Government had initiated a few steps to check this menace of increasing vulgarity in Punjabi songs and videos. Punjab transport minister Ajit Singh Kohar had issued orders in November last to ban playing “vulgar and provocative songs” in the state-run transport buses as a preventive measure against fatal accidents. The transport Minister had also asked the passengers to inform him if they came across drivers playing vulgar music. In another such initiative, the Punjab Education Minister Sikander Singh Maluka in February had ordered farewell to “improper” songs from school send-off functions organised in High and Senior Secondary Schools, for slowing down the corruption of young minds and for ensuring that the students sing in praise of the State’s rich cultural heritage. lashing out at the “provocative” and vuilgar lyrics, some of the Punjab-based NGOs, dealing with issues related to women’s rights and empowerment including Istri Jagriti Manch, burnt effigies of Punjabi singers including Honey Singh, Gippy Garewal, Diljeet Dosanjh, Geeta Zaildar, among others.
Gross music
“Ni tu khiche jawe peg ghata ghat soniye, ni tu haje 15 saal ton ghat soniye ne” (You drink so much alcohol, girl. You are less than 15) “Hey hey kudiye..Aazma ke vekhe ni tu nashe saare, hona ki ae tera aggey mutiyaare (Girl you must try drugs, more men will fall for you) “Raat ko nikali naari, hui gadi pe savaari par voh raat usko pad gayi bhari..kyunki main hoon balatkaari” (Girl going at night, hop on a car; the night turned out bad for her, as I am a rapist).