Dear Editor,
With regards to recent comments on the airing of Hindi songs on radio, I think all the ethnic groups in Guyana should have equitable or fair access to radio programmess airing music in their “ethnic” language. We should learn to appreciate each other’s music. Africans should be able to listen to music in Swahili (or other African languages). Similarly, Amerindians and Portuguese should also have access to music in their languages. Indians should not have a monopoly on ethnic music. But distributing air time to ethnic music may pose problems given the varying percentages of the ethnic composition of the population. If Indians were to get almost half the broadcast time, and Africans one third the time given their approximate make up of the population, then not much time is left for other more important broadcasts or for the other ethnic groups.
I am told that right now, Hindi (or Indian) music is only given an average of two hours a day – well below their fair share if one were to go by an ethnic formula. So, clearly an ethnic music formula will present more problems than solutions in satisfying the musical entertainment of the diverse population. It may be better for the government to open the airwaves to allow competing radio stations to operate as has happened in Trinidad where there are some 22 stations. In Trinidad, seven stations broadcast exclusively Hindi or Indian music and no stations broadcast in Swahili or any other ethnic language.
With regards to Hindi music, while most Indo-Guyanese are not literate in Hindi, they love Hindi songs and do not find the airing of these songs objectionable. In fact, they look forward to the air time when Indian songs are played. I remember as a child growing up in Port Mourant the morning Indian programmes, the evening birthday programmes and the afternoon “East Meets West in Music” were very popular.
Non-Indians also enjoy Hindi music and can dance film songs better than most Indians. I have seen their performances at weddings. Also, I travelled to several islands in the Caribbean and was shocked to find people listening to Hindi (not just chutney) songs; they tune in to the Indian radio stations in Trinidad and they hum the lyrics or the beat of the songs. During my undergraduate studies in NY in the 1970s, I met a St. Vincentian student of Mixed background who sought my assistance in purchasing Indian music in NY. He said he and his family used to watch Indian films in St. Vincent and enjoy the music and dances in the films.
I am also familiar with Africans who sing Hindi songs at weddings and concerts. During my youthful days, several Africans were members of Indian bands that I patronized on the Corentyne. Even in NY, Indian bands have Africans who sing Hindi songs and I enjoy listening to them. In Trinidad, two years ago one of leading Hindi singers was an African and almost all the Indian bands have African musicians or lead singers.
Non-Indians who don’t understand Hindi in far off places also listen to Hindi songs.
I heard people sang Hindi songs in many countries I visited – China, Poland, Russia, Belarus, Morocco, East Germany, etc. I just returned from Thailand and Thai people sang out a few verses of popular Hindi songs for me. They did not understand the meaning of the words but enjoy the lyrics that go with the beat. The first time I was in China in the 1980s, almost everywhere I went, Chinese were heard singing the theme sang from the film “Awaara”. When I asked my tour guide, who also sang it, about it, he replied it was a popular hit in China. When I revisited China in the 1990s, other hits replaced “awaara ho” as the Chinese have now fallen in love with tunes from modern films featuring Bollywood celebrities Shah Rukh Khan, Amitbah Bachan, Aishwarya Rai, and others.
The same holds true in Russia, Poland and former allies of the Soviet Union. I am sure those Guyanese who studied in Moscow saw Hindi films on TV. Russians sang Hindi songs for me when I was there almost twenty years ago. And in Morocco, many youths entertained me with verses from Hindi songs as I walked the narrow streets going shopping. I met students from Kenya and Mexico who told me they love Hindi films and songs and they don’t know the meaning. In Kenya, Uganda, Nigeria and other African countries, Bollywood Hindi films (and by extension their music) are popular. In my college days, Nigerian students used to outnumber Indians watching Indian films. So Hindi songs are loved globally even though people do not know the language. One has to show appreciation for music of other groups and not view everything in ethnic terms. I enjoy listening to Spanish, French, Arabic and Chinese music.. I frequently tune in to the Arabic and Spanish TV stations in NY to watch their song and dance programmes. I enjoy them.
Although one may not know the language, he or she can still appreciate and enjoy songs of other cultures. I think authorities should accommodate the music of Africans in Guyana. No harm will be done replacing calypso, dub, reggae, etc. with Swahili songs.
Yours faithfully,
Vishnu Bisram
