[Fresno News Bureau] FRESNO,CA: Each Sunday morning as the darkness fizzles and images of anew day surface, most of the Punjabi lovers here in central California, wake up to watch an hour of entertainment. From urban Fresno to rural Caruthers, every Punjabi seems to be palpitating in union as their week long wait ends when Awaaz-e-Wattan tums on. Then at 7:30 a.m. children with their eyes glued to the tubes, as their parents settle around, a pin drop silence is interrupted by a soft voice, “on behalf of Awaaz-e-Wattan Sat Sri Akal.”
Awaaz-e-Wattan, a weekly program was started almost five years ago by a single man’s effort of Gurpreet S. Mann. “At that time nobody believed that starting a Punjabi program could ever be possible here in California,” says Mann, “it was brushed aside like more a fantasy or fiction.” Mann got motivated to start a Punjabi program after he came in contact with a Chinese student at Fresno State University who was producing a Chinese program. As Mann’s interest grew stronger he started questioning, “Why can’t I start such a program?” Finally during June of 1992 the program started with a meagre equipment like a video camera and a VCR. Soon it became a popular hit, among Punjabis. “Now it has become a part of our life,” says Harry Gilla successful business entrepreneur from Caruthers. For those who live in rural farm houses among sprawling grape vineyards of San Joaquin Valley, this program re freshens their own memories of life in rural Punjab a country which they left behind.
Punjabis in particular are settled in small pockets in USA and there is no effective medium of communication. As a result they are losing their culture, language and identity very fastly. “We urgently need to overcome distance barrier among each other and we can do it easily by beaming our programs through satellites,” says Dr. Jasbir Singh Kang of Yuba City. He feels that the availability of such pro seems to be reassuring to those who have recently settled in this part of world. Such programs can be fruitful in expediting re rooting of new immigrants who otherwise feel uprooted. According to Kang the efforts of Awaaz-e-Wattan could play a pivotal role in Punjabi entertainment and strengthening our cultural inheritance.
Awaaz-e-Wattan program dis plays Punjab’s life in its true sense. Programs like this may not be allowed in India because it simply doesn’t start with Namaste. “You will land in jail due to the only reason that you started the program with Sat Sri Akal, laments Mohinder Singh Poonia of Fresno. Gurpreet S. Mann producer and cohost of Awaaz-e-Wattan however, feels that producing such programs is an arduous task. Financial difficulties and less than expected people’s participation are the major reason that this program has not been able to achieve excellence in its entirety. Very soon 4 marketing firm will be hired to improve its image and seek more advertisements.
Mann invites dedicated people who have interest in or experience in TV programing to get involved Mann feels that in order to broaden its appeal, the program should also reach out to other Punjabi speaking communities, like one importantly from Pakistan. He says that Punjabi language is not only spoken by Sikhs alone and program should equally involve other Punjabi speaking groups also. This is the reason that the program has changed its ethnic focus from targeted Indian viewers to much broader south East Asian groups. Also almost four months ago this program has joined northern California air waves as now it can be watched in Bay areas and Yuba City etc. Mann praises Guddi Sidhu cohost for her relentless efforts to make the program more entertaining. A veteran TV announcer Guddi, wife of a Fresno physician, ventures out to those who were previously ignored, in order to balance the program.
“With the end of cold war, not bombs or missiles but electronic and printing medias are going to be the weapons next century,”’ says Fresno Mayor Jim Patterson. He feels that in USA only those com munities will prevail who will age their own media effectively, He exhorted Sikhs to strengthen their own media in order to let their presence felt in this country, Awaaz-e-Wattan especially at tracts the attention of our senior citizens who can only understand Punjabi. “My mother always wo up much earlier on every Sunday morning, in order to get ready to watch this interesting program,” says Dr. Arain, a Pakistani physician from Madera. “Such programs make our elderly feel more at home in otherwise a strange land.”
Article extracted from this publication >> September 4, 1996
