Game shows changing values, says writer

By Our Staff Reporter

BANGALORE, DEC. 10. Criticising Bollywood's superstar, Mr. Amitabh Bachchan, for hosting the game show, Kaun Banega Crorepati, on Star Plus channel, Dr. U.R.Ananthamurthy, Jnanpith Award winner, said here on Sunday that it would end up in the destruction of human rights.

Inaugurating the seminar on ``Media and Human Rights'', he said most media could be used for manipulation and the programme was dangerous because Mr. Bachchan had used his voice for profound persuasion. Dr. Ananthamurthy said he once fell in love with Mr. Bachchan's voice when the latter had recited his father's poem. He no longer felt so.

The show, he said, was sending wrong signals to those earning some money after much toil. ``Here is a film which can make you a crorepati by answering silly questions. This will only make hard working people feel that life is meaningless,'' he said. The seminar was organised by CIEDS Collective, Sichrem and Bangalore Film Society to mark the International Human Rights Day.

Arguing that self-respecting people should not allow this illusory system, he said a whole system of values was being changed by programmes as these. If the country had a culture and tradition now, it was mainly because of the lower middle class that had sustained it. ``But a whole set of values are going to be destroyed by cinema and television and by serials like these,'' he regretted.

Opposing cinema in general, he said it was more often being used for manipulation. Stating that the Indian cinema was sustained by black money, he said only manipulative films were likely to be produced in such a situation.

Mr. Hasan Mansoor, President of People's Union For Civil Liberties (PUCL), said the media was playing the role of a manipulator, being controlled by vested interests and was only promoting the interest of the establishment. Charging that human rights were being violated in the country, he said there was reason for hope for there were a number of people's movement which could usher in a new society.

Mr. Suresh Heblikar, environmentalist, decried that science and technology had alienated the people from their environment. Dr. Srinivas of the Centre for Study of Culture and Society lamented that a majority of the population were not in a position to exercise their human rights. Those who did enjoy this was the upper crust and the middle class, he said.

Earlier, a tribal children's group from Wayanadu in Kerala rendered a song. Mr. Mathew Phillips of CIEDS Collective and Mr. George Kutty A.L.of Bangalore Film Society were present.

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Section  : Southern States
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