POINT OF VIEW:

Nava Parapure Junk and stench!

by Prasad Gunewardene

Misfortune has stepped in like torrential rains into the music and presentation vocations in the country with the advancement of technology. I would not put the blame entirely on the FM Radio and Television systems.

A country needs both in the drive to development in this era of globalisation. But, the correct people must be chosen for the correct jobs. New recruits must be trained before they are put into action. Or experienced people must guide them. FM radios and TV stations in Sri Lanka deny its people of rich values.

I will now deal with the segment of amateur FM Radio and TV presenters who bloom like flowers and fade away. Though some of them appear to be 'watered', the fact remains they have faded as listeners and viewers switch off their TV and radio sets when they hear or see them.

Presentation needs sequence. It should also possess a 'sense of pitch' as in a song to attract the listeners and viewers. Above all, these young men and women cannot deliver educative material to the people. That is why they don't come to stay but, only to fade away.

If you switch on a FM Radio, you could hear these young men and women presenters cracking 'dry jokes' among themselves that bores the listeners. Such 'dry jokes' in fact has no relevance to the program. Recently, it was a program on transport. But, the male presenter was asking his woman colleague whether she had her breakfast and why she wore a red T-shirt. To me they appeared a bunch of 'ignorant nincompoop' wasting valuable air time meant for the listeners. They wasted over three minutes to talk about their meals and clothes that morning.

Why is all this happening in our society? With the rapid expansion of FM Radios and TV channels', the institutions gave prominence to beauty and personality over knowledge, education, quality and standards.

That is why these young men and women quite ignorant of the history of their profession tend to make blunders over the beams daily. Only those who have interviewed them know on what criteria these men and women have been absorbed. A few weeks ago, a listener replied to a question on music that the incident occurred during the era of H. W. Rupasinghe 'Master'.

The woman presenter shot back to say that Rupasinghe Master would have been a school teacher and the reply had no relevance to music. This woman displayed her total ignorance. It was an insult to the great musician, H. W. Rupasinghe. If this trend continues, in time to come, the next generation of such 'idiots' may even call 'Amaradeva Master' and Khemadasa Master, tuition masters. The reference 'Master' is an honour bestowed on these great men.

I do not wish to mention the name of the FM Radio. Another male 'nincompoop' presenter posed a question to the listeners on the English translation for "Vinishya Mandalaya". Like a parrot his woman Presenter replied before the listeners. She said "Magen Ahanna, Uttaraya -judikal court" (her exact pronunciation as she looked ignorant of the use of 'c' in the word judicial). The correct answer should have been Panel. Aren't these nincompoops misleading the listeners.

There were some students in that bus that afternoon. They would take with them that incorrect answer. The judiciary can only be linked if it was a Panel of Judges or a Tribunal. These are a few blunders committed by them to prove the quality of FM Radio Presenters we have today.

The nation will have to shed tears if this disgraceful trend is allowed to continue in this highly indisciplined manner. I feel that the Ministries of Media and Information, Culture and Education should set a guideline on the criteria to recruit young men and women to these institutions if we are to build a nation with a quality literacy level.

Blunders aplenty

The young TV presenters are no better. Especially on the Sinhala channels. Like their colleagues in the FM Radio stations, blunders are aplenty. As I stated last Sunday, they display ignorance when making references to music legends of the past. They only seem to know the so-called musicians of the current trend. Today musicians are not born. They are made. That is why they fade away in no time.

Like parrots they repeat the word 'Nava Parapure' (New Generation) whenever they introduce a musician or any other personality in the field of Art. Let us examine this term 'Nava Parapure'. Actors and musicians are born and not made.

They may belong to an era. But, they are never introduced in that manner. When W. D. Amaradeva emerged during the time of Rupasinghe Master, he was never called a 'Nava Parapure Gayakaya'. When Jothipala came in the 1950s as a young lad, he was not labelled as 'Nava Parapure' product. So was Victor Ratnayake, Sanath Nandasiri, Clarence Wijewardene and all other legends. Did anyone call Gamini Fonseka a "Nava Parapure Naluwa" in the late 1950s? Therefore, such a vocabulary is nothing but derogatory.

These young men and women, especially in the Sinhala channels and beams have no proper language or vocabulary. They speak "Singlish". You may often hear the following; "Api Set Vemuda", "Fun Ekak Damuda", "Niyama Top Somiya", "Real Joliya Ethana Thamai", "Eya Real Porak" and so on. This could be the only country that tolerates such nonsense. Everywhere in the world, there is a code of ethics that has to followed in the electronic media.

In those nations, the mother tongue or any other language cannot be abused. Presenters have to adhere to a code of conduct when they reach the public through their channels or beams. Sinhala is a proud language. Now those who call themselves Sinhalese are killing their own language. Legends like Munidasa Kumaratunga, Martin Wickremesinghe and Anagarika Dharmapala will turn in their graves if nature provides them to hear this filth. Surely, Arisen Ahubudu may be shedding tears in silence.

But, these "Nava Parapure" singers and presenters match each other. They do not know what they say and sing.As I said earlier, birds of the same feather flock together. Therefore, the use "Nava Parapure" is quite appropriate to them. These so called 'Singers' have become a menace. They would even mortgage property to produce a CD or a cassette to call themselves artistes.

Names of all the flowers have been swallowed in their lyrics. Only the flower that bloom in the graveyard is spared. Their publicity channel to reach the people are the private buses. I got into several buses one day.

In many of those, I heard the voice of a man called an artiste, not singing but groaning. I asked the conductor how come many buses play the cassette of that same groaning voice which said about an 'Araliya Mala'. He said, these men who produce cassettes to become singers distributed cassettes free at the Central Bus Stand. See what a tragedy....the people are forced to listen to these junk.

'Groaners' in music

Let us now see the damage caused to our society by those so-called 'groaners' in music. They produce a VCD. A 'top' man at a TV station gets trapped after a sumptuous meal is offered at a comfortable hotel.

The junk we heard is now telecast before our eyes. There's sure to be a woman romancing with a man either half naked or well exposed. The younger generation gets attracted. They collect their pocket money to buy such material. In reality there is no worthy material in such productions. The lyrics have no meaning. The melody is either copied or sung outside notations.

The so-called singer has no sense of pitch. Veteran musician and legend, Victor Ratnayake summed up this menace in the following manner. "There's nothing to worry as these men and women have their birth and bereavement marked on their maiden production'. Victor is correct. That is why they fade away in no time. But, the damage caused to the society at large is well beyond repair.