On Public Radio

On my way to Colombo from out today I had two strange encounters. One I will recount later. The other heard on a Sinhalese radio station played in the bus was indeed shocking.

This radio station calling them the Number 01 in the country (According to some bizarre poll apparently) was playing their afternoon show.

The presenter, a girl with a strange accent (Haven't you noticed how they all speak as Sinhalese was their 2nd, no 10th language and not the mother tongue?), announced the next part of a radio drama (I'm not sure of the correct terminology here). You get the idea right, people act out a story on air. And this radio drama, I don't mean Muwan Pelassa. This was one of those cheap, petty, trashy ones, girls with smoky voices & guys trying to lure these girls in and ensuing love stories.

This particular programme was announced to be a radio movie. (Obe aadaraneeya guvanviduli chithrapatiya) BAH! What on earth is a guvanviduli chithrapatiya?

From the bits & pieces I caught, first there was a girl who tricked a guy on a motor bike to give her a ride home. (Pick her up & drop her home).  Here's the shocking part. Between every two words she used one of the following words. “Ulama, Gona, Ibba, Booruwa, Gon balla “& so on & so forth. And the guy also responded in a similar manner. “Ibbiye, modiye" et cetera.

This was followed by a few songs (Who makes these songs?) after which the next part of the "guvanviduli chithrapatiya" resumed.

Apparently in this part (I'm not sure if it's the same girl or a different one), a girl had just gotten home but had not noticed that there was a guy in her living room. (Yes very film noir).  Only after she folded her umbrella, took her own time, finished a phone call (all this while the guy observing her) she turned & was startled to see this guy in her living room.

The guy having enquired as to why she lets/brings this other guy to her house when he's not around was met with yet another tirade (I'm not sure if it was his first, I strongly doubt it however) in the aforesaid manner with her denial of sorts of his accusations. "ibba" & "ulama" seemed to be the favourite words of the heroin.

At this point, of course he had no recourse but to interrogate her more & prove that she indeed was not very honest with her replies. Meanwhile, not offended at all by his accusations or tone of voice or the choice of words (as it should be in a Mills & Boon novel) she, causing distress to many listeners wondered in her head why she wasn't at all offended and proceeded to. (WAIT FOR IT) hide her face in her hands and burst into a fit of giggles.

Thankfully, the programme ended then. Or it didn't & I was just brain dead.

Firstly, when on earth did people start speaking like that? Is it some novel idea that calling names is flirtatious?

Secondly, ON PUBLIC RADIO?

Thirdly, on a programme obviously targeted at the young crowd?

Goodness! Can someone please put them out of their misery? They sounded so needing it.

Do they think that it's OK to portray on radio that for any guy it's alright to come uninvited & be in a girl's (Or anyone else's) house unannounced? Like a serial killer or a rapist. Really? Seriously?

And since when is it OK for public radio to encourage girls to trick random guys to pick them off the road?

And, since when, (let me re-iterate) since when is it OK to talk to people like that?

And the accents? What's up with that? Even people I know who have lived their whole lives abroad speak better Sinhala. You can't speak a language? Learn it. Till you do, speak in a language you can in a relevant radio station.  Better yet, don't join a media station.

Public radio is not the personal play ground of presenters (or producers) for flirty bantam. People are listening & throwing up all over the place.

This particular radio station is not the only guilty one of course. Many many others are. Thankfully, most of the English channels aren't so bad. At least they play a whole lot of music & don't have "guvanviduli chithrapatiya" But then those who listen to the English stations are a tiny tiny portion.

Me having to listen to these stations are a sad by-product of bus travel like for many others. I've seen many who twist their faces listening to these. No wonder that these stations have to give away cash prizes to their listeners for doing so.

Oh yeah. This particular station's English channel was closed down a few years ago for misreporting.

There is no doubt that media should be responsible. Socially responsible. If this is a far cry, they should at least be decent, sociable and not spread vulgarity. Because the masses are easily gullible & deceivable on norms and such.

So the responsibility lies in not misleading the masses. Can't lead them in the right direction? Fine. Don't. Just don't lead them in the other way either.  If you can't do good, stay in the middle.