Daago Mama: Thanks to Radio Tarana for maintaining Hindi language decorum, sensitivity and proper usage

Daago Mama: Thanks to Radio Tarana for maintaining Hindi language decorum, sensitivity and proper usage

You must be wandering, Thakur, or Fiji Pundit  seem to have become his old shadow of Daily Post days when he used to be Liu Muri, which in Hindi is Aage Picche (a slimy person with changing views). Some would think, one day he criticises Radio Tarana’s news team for using non-understandable, but high level of Hindi and next minute he is praising the station.

Of course I did not criticise them for using high standard of Hindi, (in fact I am thankful for that). In fact I was critical of them not translating to English or explaining the words in more understandable terms to attract interest of listeners for whom “pure” Hindi is difficult to understand, especially for school-age children schooling with Pakehas.

As a Hindi radio station geared for all Indians, Radio Tarana did well to maintain its decorum and respect for standard Hindi language and did not go down to make it into Pidgin Hindi and were careful not to compromise with linguistic engineering, like done by the rival Apna 990.

For example, in Apna 990, language used may be considered by some as inappropriate for a radio station where they use the term ‘Daago mama”. Full version is: miyan ke kitchen, bappa ke jamin, ka bole mausa, Daago mama. It means husband’s kitchen, father’s land, what say uncle, urging mother’s brother (Mama- uncle) to do something unusual or spectacular. This is very colloquial or informal Hindi not generally regarded suitable for formal usage. Of course the debate on use of Fiji –Hindi is another issue to be discussed later.

One need to appreciate that in its 16 years of existence, Radio Tarana did its best to ensure the high standard and respectability of Hindi language used at the station. I had a talk with Radio Tarana where there was more hurt than complaint for my doing a piece on standard of Hindi in news. (Read article at: http://www.blogger.com/blogger.g?blogID=207937644965682419#editor/target=post;postID=7561154533754616799]

I was told, there was nothing wrong in raising the issue, but it could have been done discreetly. Agreed. This is because Thakur had always been regarded as a friend and well-wisher of the Radio Tarana team, has a history of working closely with them, hence this behaviour was not expected of me. I could have spoken directly to them. Agreed. Radio stations are supposed to be run by experts who need to have the pulse of the community. My role as a blogger called me to publish anyway, and bring issues to public attention. Or if not, there are qualified people, those near to the community, academically qualified, with media experience, running business in Communications and media from their community, who can help. It often needs an Indian to understand and appreciate Indian psych.

The hurt felt by Radio Tarana is understandable. It was the same that I felt when I was stabbed in the back by those I considered to be my friends. But in this case, I was being constructive, not vindictive or vengeful as I recently experienced from Indian lynch mob.

Venkat Raman from Indian Newslink, associated with Indian community leaders to kick me in the teeth for exercising my freedom to speak, my rights to exercise democracy. They worked in conjunction with political opportunists, and working with a Labour Party political apprentice, they were able to have me suspended as vice president of Waitakere Indian Association. This Thakur had provided some seven years of free and sellable articles to Ravin Lal’s paper, yet Venkat is prepared to publish comments by Vinod Patel, head of Hindu Council of NZ and owner of Mega mitre 10 that Thakur was a failed journalist, writing hateful and unresearched articles. The irony is that Indian Newslink had been using those articles for FREE to sell its advertisements for so many years. It is such hypocrisy of Indian leaders and their media which made me start a watchdog, so that no little god in media can again be the judge, jury and executioner. Erroneous reporting were not corrected, neither was I given a right of reply by Indian Newslink. Therefore, my blogsite, Fiji Pundit is to work as a watchdog for Indian media which feels invisible and beyond reproach.

Hence now people with a gripe against our media have somebody to speak for them. Fiji Pundit is here to expose weaknesses, vice and lack of journalistic ethics publicly, and bring hitherto little Gods, all powerful Indian media to public attention and exposure. Indian media appears to have become too close to rich businesses politicians and its advertisers and the community have little say where issues concerning the community are sacrificed. 

Fiji Pundit will fill that vacuum and publish what is not generally seen elsewhere.

Therefore the issue I raised about use of language and education role of media in Radio Tarana was an example of how social media would work as a watchdog and hopefully, a medium of change.