Quality television

The concern expressed by President Mahinda Rajapaksa at some of the programmes aired over certain TV channels would be shared by many TV viewers.

Meeting with a group of artistes to accommodate their suggestions in the upcoming budget the President noted that some programmes telecast over certain TV channels debased moral values and are injurious to the mentality of children.

The President's views will certainly be endorsed by many.

The President was of the view that TV channels should telecast quality programmes and promote indigenous culture and values and espouse the cause of the Motherland.

There is no denying that some of the current TV programmes and particularly those garish soap operas dubbed in the vernacular are jarring on the nerves of the purist to say the least.

Many would agree that these programmes not only lack quality and direction but they are hard to rival for their sheer artificiality. Some of the 'mega' shouting matches that pass off as teledramas telecast on private channels while being completely alien to our culture also foster different values and lifestyles that are not in keeping with our civilised ethos.

True, these soap operas are meant to entertain and are backed by sponsors with commercial interests. But the wrong message conveyed could cause immense damage to our time honoured values and impact negatively on the young audience.

Interestingly it is this type of pot boilers that have been the biggest draw with the local TV audience. These soap operas are even big hits with educated housewives who take leave of their domestic chores if not their senses to be thrilled by the melodrama.

Sadly some of the national television stations too are seen attempting to emulate this tripe dished out to prime time audiences. Not only teledrama even other programmes aired by these channels are not in keeping with the accepted norms particularly those gyrations and contortions involving young couples.

The unbridled commercial bent of these channels is also amply demonstrated by the mega competitions that have created a new culture of 'superstars'. All these programmes have only one aim and that is to rake in the maximum returns .

True the world has moved fast and in today's globalised environment these sentiments may sound old fashioned and obsolete. But one has to take cognisance of the overall impact they would have on young impressionable minds. There is the danger of them being cast off their cultural moorings. Hence the President's concern at the declining standards and the need to foster programmes promoting indigenous culture and moral values.

In a highly commercialised milieu it would not be possible to lay down any rules and guidelines that would restrict such programmes. It is therefore left to the parties concerned to make the first move.

Strangely we do not hear any protests from the members of the clergy at these substandard teledramas and 'super star' shows which certainly do not accord with our indigenous ethos. This is not to say that programmes that entertain should be scrapped. Only that the sponsors should treat with circumspection and consideration the impact these may have on the young.

At the same meeting President Rajapaksa has also stressed the need to develop our cinema, and TV productions to match international levels rather than the wholesale import of English, Hindi and Tamil films. Here what is keeping our productions from securing international markets is not the absence of creative talent but the lack of technical excellence.

We say this because Hindi films that are more or less based on the same themes run to full houses in Western countries. This is chiefly due to the technical excellence of these productions. Therefore what we should concentrate on is to improve on this field to secure a market for our films in foreign countries.

Sri Lanka should also open itself to foreign collaboration in our productions. We should also promote Sri Lanka as a premier film location destination. This would also boost the tourism industry while promoting the country internationally.

All this though will be to no avail without resuscitating our film industry which is in the doldrums. Today cinemas countrywide are closing down at a rapid rate to make way for commercial enterprises. Action should be taken promptly to arrest the decline.

Now that the East is cleared there is a need to provide it's inhabitants with the type of entertainment that were denied to them all these years. It is well known that this segment are avid film goers and the conflict put paid to their entertainment. Measures should be taken to rebuild all cinemas in the province and restart those abandoned during the conflict so that once again they could indulge in their popular hobby.