Haryana BJP takes a leaf out of the Taliban's book and proposes a ban on western music . . .

The Times of India

Editorial

Out Of Tune
5 October 2009

The BJP manifesto for the Haryana elections reflects the confusion in party ranks about what it is and what it wants to be. Hardly in a position
to influence the political outcome none of the major regional outfits wanted an alliance with the BJP the party has adopted an agenda to please the most conservative sections of the population.

Besides a few populist measures, the manifesto promises to "ban western music and obscenity on display in the name of culture by enacting a law". And, yes, the party will encourage and rejuvenate ancient Haryanvi culture, festivals, sports and melas. No doubt, Haryanvi culture needs to be encouraged even though culture is most likely to flourish when it is free of governmental interference.
But that apart, why does the BJP want a ban on western music? And how does the party plan to define "obscenity in the name of culture" against which it is hell-bent on enacting a law? If we go by the recent activities of fraternal saffron organisations like Sri Rama Sene and Bajrang Dal, the implications of the BJP's vision for Haryana are ominous. These groups believe that all activities, public and private, presumed to be of "western" origin ought to be opposed. So, pubs should be closed down, Valentine's Day celebrations must be attacked and unfamiliar music banned.

Can the BJP, a political party that aspires to gain office, support such a view of culture? Not many in today's India are likely to identify with the sangh parivar's vision of the West as the fountainhead of evil. Ours is a young country and Indian youth don't share the parivar's fear of or disdain for western influences. They welcome all forms of entertainment, irrespective of their origin, and prefer celebration to disruption. Unlike their elders, they are far less concerned about the 'purity' of their Indianness. If the BJP wants to tap the youth it needs to recognise their likings and aspirations, which are anything but those championed by parivar groups.

Any study of the influence of western music or western popular culture on its Indian counterparts is bound to show up how vain the search for cultural purity is. Is the BJP, then, going to take a leaf out of the Taliban's book and ban all music, or at least all popular forms of music? It needs to rethink its ideas of culture and nationalism if it wants to expand beyond a narrow conservative section of the electorate.