- There are certain matters which neither deserve intervention nor tampering from any quarters, least of all from the government establishment, in the way day-to-day functioning is pursued. The free spirit of the enterprise should be allowed to prosper without any needless meddling in the name of nationalism which has been done to death over the last few years. Agreed, each of us citizens will feel proud about being Indians and many would also like to wear the nationalistic fervor on our shoulders on occasions demanding our recognition as well as acknowledgment.
PC: Mindandi
- However, the government authorities thrusting upon us something mundane is best left to the dynamics of market-driven forces to decide upon. As you are aware, the civil aviation ministry’s recent advisory, inspired by a suggestion from Indian Council for Cultural Relations (ICCR), that domestic airlines and airports play Indian music is exactly what the industry and we, the general public, did not need. The national jingoism in certain matters might still be accepted like sports, military, and history, just to name a few. However, forcefully intruding into the aviation sector under the guise of promoting Indian culture simply does not go with the narration.
- We never let go of an opportunity of projecting the country as the modern aspirational society aiming to be counted amongst the powerful on some of the most veritable global platforms. As regards subject matter, there is nothing wrong with playing Indian music on flights or at airports. Of course, there are several airlines and airports of other nations that often play local origin music. Also, unlike us, many of the democratic nations allow private enterprises a free hand to run their business and hence, do not issue advisories to private aviation players on what music they should play to keep the travelers entertained.
PC: OpIndia Staff
- Thankfully, the civil aviation ministry mentions that this is not an order but a request offering some comfort. The moot point to ponder over here is what happens if private airports and airlines do not abide by the request. We all know how badly the industry is hit by the pandemic and are just attempting to recoup from the damaging disaster. Needless to mention, such advisories from the ministry set a terrible precedent for the freedom of businesses to run their operations. It is well documented how India’s aviation industry transformed itself on the back of private entrepreneurship. Private airlines and airport operators were able to provide far better services precisely because they were given a free hand.
- Sadly, the pandemic has allowed creeping government interference as authorities are deciding how many flights airless can operate, price bands, and capacity. Rather than a demand-supply mechanism deciding the same, the ministry’s intervention is unnecessary as is the case with playing Indian music. Likewise, will airlines and airports be next requested to serve only Indian food, or for that matter will airline staff be told to wear Indian dress. Moreover, how do you classify Indian music in a richly diverse country that is also open culturally to the outside meaning different things to different people in different regions? Simply do not make sense at all when the aviation players are struggling to stay afloat in a pandemic. Let the request be withdrawn or consigned to the dustbin.
