How qualified anchors were eliminated in DDK Srinagar

Nine anchors’ question: Why should ‘Dr Sahiba’ have all the fun?

Early Times Report

SRINAGAR, Sep 19: Not one but full row of the nine qualified anchors were eliminated by Doordarshan Kendra (DDK) Srinagar officials, one after another, to ensure that hundred percent presentation space was grabbed by their favourite female anchor in the daily morning transmission ‘Good Morning J&K’ (GMJK). Some of the aggrieved anchors put up a tough resistance and approached all offices from Chief Minister’s Secretariat in Jammu to Directorate General of Doordarshan in New Delhi but nobody listened to them until the much favoured anchor of DD officials was allegedly caught red-handed while ‘making an obscene act at a public place’ and booked in a criminal matter by Hazratbal Police on September 9^th.

According to the details exclusively available with Early Times, DD’s Additional DG, Ashok Jailkhani, and other high ups at Mandi House had made it clear to DDK Srinagar Head of Programmes, Shami Shair, that the morning show would run live from the Kendras of Srinagar, Jammu and Leh. It was decided that three different anchors at the three stations would form a conference and present nine different segments for the viewers in the 60-minute morning show. The programme was aimed at encapsulating life, culture and current affairs of all the three regions of the state.

However, when GMJK started on December 1^st, 2011, it was found no different from the previous scandal-marred show of Dr Rafeeq Masoodi, titled “Subhai Subhai”. CBI as well as DD’s own Central Vigilance Cell has observed that Masoodi and his subordinates had scandalously procured nearly 9500 segments of “Subhai Subhai” from six particular private producers. Tapes, that had been smuggled into the station premises in gunny bags and dumped in stores, were seized by CBI. Now a DDG at headquarters, Masoodi has been placed under suspension and investigation is underway into extremely serious charges of corruption and malpractices against him.

With Jammu and Leh being completely missing in the programme and the total control being in the hands of Mrs Shair in Srinagar, three successive Producers of the GMJK moved out while pointing out grave irregularities. Sufi musical segment ‘Vanayo Seer-e-Asraar’ was found to be made on a worn out series, originally shot and edited in the obsolete Betacam format. Later, the plagiaries outstretched to other segments too. Footage from the old Betacam tapes was transferred on the current format (DVC-Pro 50) and all such fraudulent works passed off as fresh DVC Pro-50 productions. Payments were drawn according as both, Programme Executive Coordination and Administrative Officer (AO), were allegedly in the loop.

Even the footage for the familiar ‘Recipe’ segment was derived from the Kendra’s used tapes. Believe it or not, ‘Fitness’ segments were procured from a health club only after its proprietor admitted some senior DDK Srinagar officials as the fitness customers on “complimentary basis”.

On 27 to 28 days a month, none other than the currently tainted anchor’s cousin was booked in beginning song segment. This particular female anchor is said to have had a field day in the last over eight months in selecting guests and talents besides arranging different segments.

“Even an ordinary inquiry will find that almost all the payees of GMJK were the relatives, friends, neighbours or acquaintances of the former Director and her favourite anchor”, said an insider. He disclosed that over 50 freelance producers had decided to move court in case Mandi House, Prasar Bharti and Shastri Bhawan did not assign the investigation to CBI or DD’s Central Vigilance wing immediately.

Well-placed and well-informed sources revealed that initially an acclaimed male anchor, namely Masood Muntazar, was roped in to start the show with a popular female artist, Sanobar. Both performed well but were removed from the show within a few weeks. Masood, who had extensive exposure in DD as well as private television channel Take One TV, was eliminated when he left for Delhi, after seeking permission from Mrs Shair, to make a presentation of his proposal being processed by DD Urdu.

But before Masood and Sanobar were sidelined, both were used to train the favoured female anchor who is currently in news for a negative reason. On 13^th, 14^th and 15^th January, 2012, she was a co-host with Masood. DDK Srinagar records clearly indicate that she hosted the show as the lead anchor without break from January 16^th to September 9^th, in violation of DG Doordarshan’s order banning booking of casual artists, including casually engaged anchors, for more than seven days a month.

Notwithstanding their acclaim, Masood and Sanobar never came back to the show. Among the most qualified and the most brilliant, a female anchor, who lives in Sonwar area of Srinagar, was occasionally given a chance. Two of the brilliant students of Kashmir University’s PG Department of Journalism and Mass Communication, namely Jamsheed (male) and Safeena (female) proved to be the most competent in presentation of the morning show.

Jamsheed, who has completed his post graduation, was sidelined without assigning a reason thereto. When he desired to know the reason, he was told that he had read out 1988 as “unees sau nawasi” (1989).

Safeena, who is currently in 4^th semester of her PG course in journalism, was also taken off the show, unceremoniously. However, she did not take the disgrace lying down. She left no stone unturned to know as to why she had been removed despite the fact that she, Jamsheed and few others had fared exceptionally well in the audition.

In the month of February, when none of Safeena’s letters, e-mails and other forms of representations to DD and Prasar Bharti officials yielded anything, she drove all the way to Jammu and submitted a detailed representation in Chief Minister’s Secretariat. When that too failed to break the ice, she dashed off an application under RTI to DD authorities. Like a minimum of seven identical applications, DD officials ignored it. One of her communications to Additional DG, Ashok Jailkhani, found its way to the office of incharge DDK Srinagar. She formed a committee of three subordinate officials.

“Rather than listening to the applicant (Safeena), they got a brief from Mrs Shair and wrote to Safeena that she had proved to be incompetent to host the show”, revealed a source. She asked back as to how she had turned overnight ‘incompetent’ even after anchoring scores of popular programmes for the same station. Nobody came to her rescue and relief. “There were standing instructions that nobody from the University’s Mass Communication Department should be booked or encouraged as an anchor or private producer. There was definitely an element of insecurity as such people neither brook mediocrity nor comprise quality. They cannot grease palms of petty clerks and illiterate officials”, said the source at DDK Srinagar.

Suddenly, on September 17^th, officials under the direction of new Head of Programmes, Qayoom Wadera, called Safeena and restored her dignity by requesting her to host GMJK on September 18^th. She came and hosted the show but made it clear to DD authorities that, now on, she would herself abandon the programme and never turn up to participate in any of this station’s programmes.

For eight months, nobody from Srinagar to Mandi House listened to Safeena’s grouse that she had been replaced by none other than the daughter-in-law of Mrs Shair’s sister. Her allegation of “favouritism” and “nepotism” was brushed under the carpet.

Others, who had passed the audition, were also eliminated disgracefully. Few of them were occasionally booked for a couple of days but none of them dared to follow Safeena in expressing and communication complaints and grievances. They included Lubna, Ummat, Sama, Suzanne, and a male anchor, Zahid.

With “all the odd ones out”, Mrs Shair’s favourite ruled the roost in the morning transmission. Even after landing in a matter of ‘obscenity at a public place’ alongwith the ruling National Conference leader and former MLC, Altaf Kaloo, [as alleged in FIR No: 110 of Police Station Nageen] she returned to Srinagar Doordarshan’s morning show and hosted it for full one hour on September 10^th.

END