J&K Gujjars to boycott DD’s Music Festival

Jammu, February 09  – To protest against the discriminatory functioning of the Doordarshan’s different Channels ,the  Gujjars of Jammu and Kashmir have decided to boycott the DD’s five day Music Festival as all the channels of organization   have  miserably failed to give proper representation to "Gojri"  language. The community has also decided to stage strong remonstration against this cultural aggression being inflected by Parsar Bharti, Corporation of India.

 Gujjar community alleged that the DD Kashir, DD Srinagar and DD Jammu , for which the centre has been allocating more than Rs 400.00  crore annually, does not telecast even a single programme of five minutes on daily basses in Gojri language in its 24 X 7 telecast. This discriminatory attitude of DD needs condemnation  in a big way.                                                                                

 The  Gujjars, who constitute more than 20 per cent of total population of the state are thus completely ignored by the Doordarshan  and no representation is given to their art, culture, languages, customs and secular ethos for which they are known all over the world.                                                          

In an appeal to Gujjar and Bakerwal community  ,  Dr Javaid Rahi, National Secretary of Tribal Research and Cultural Foundation a National Organization working for the preservation and propagations of Tribal Culture in India ,  said his community to boycott the Music Festival and  viewing all DD Channels .He  condemned the cultural invasion unleashed on Gujjars by the, Kashir Channel, DDK Srinagar and DDK Jammu.He alleged that State sponsored electronic media in Jammu and Kashmir  is in no way the representative channel of all communities and tribes of J&K State.                       

It is astonishing that as per the official notification of Prasar Bharati corporation of India working under the guidelines of Union Ministry of Information and Broadcasting the Gojri have been given 2 per cent representation each in its 24×7 telecast of DD Kashir channel,  and this is humiliating even this 2 per cent representation is also not being given this significant and oldest language of India called Gojri.                         

 Dr. Rahi allaged  that a few agencies are trying to thrust alien culture our people. This is a conspiracy and cultural monopoly against Gujjars of the state that is intolerable. He added that the authorities perceive to integrate these communities in the mainstream by insulting their culture and giving their languages mere two per cent representation in Kashir channel. "Therefore, the programmes telecast by Kashir channel have absolutely no impact on masses on either side of the border," he added.

 The Jammu and Kashmir Gujjars United Front, J&K Gujjar Bakerwal Joint Forum, All India Gujjar Maha Sabha J&K Chapter, J&K Gujjar Bakerwal Students Federation also backed the decision and appealed the community to boycott the festival and demonstrate against the policies of Doordarshan.