Old raag in a new sur?

So, what's 'New' about Navjot Singh Sidhu's Punjab Sabhyacharak Commission? Nothing, if you ask us. Since taking over charge as the Tourism and Cultural Affairs Minister last year, Sidhu has at different times been announcing policies to address Punjabi songs romanticising vulgarity and violence. In June 2017, Sidhu announced a new ‘culture policy’ to check obscenity in Punjabi music and videos and to, "raise a parallel force to combat filthy songs and movies," as then suggested by politician and actor Gurpreet Ghuggi.

Earlier, Sidhu, along with his counsel of artists from Punjab, suggested a "Gunda Act to curb piracy in Punjabi music," which is another raw nerve in Punjabi industry. The then chairperson of Punjab Arts Council, Satinder

Satti

had opined that the lack of a cultural policy is the leading cause of demeaning lyrics and piracy in Punjabi music. Sidhu had also lamented the degradation of Punjab's traditions in music. To counter this, he had devised a plan to save Punjabi culture while engaging the youth through digital platforms. In the recently formulated Punjab Sabhyacharak Commission, Sidhu also states that rather than registering FIRs right away on receiving complaints, the commission would first start with counselling. This move has already been announced by Punjab Director General of Police Suresh Arora, in February this year, while directing district SSPs to meet singers, and appeal to them to avoid objectionable lyrics. Following this, a budding singer Rocky Bhatti, became the first casualty of polices’ new tirade. On Valentine's Day this year, Bhatti was booked on orders of

Sangrur

SSP Mandeep Singh Sidhu, on charges of defacing public property and a poster of his new song showing "violent content," which was taken down from near a college in Sangrur.