Fashion TV under fire for spoiling culture

By Palash Kumar

NEW DELHI (Reuters) - A fashion television channel has come under the spotlight in India for its raunchy broadcasts at children's viewing times, prompting the country's information minister to warn the media against denigrating culture.

Priyaranjan Dasmunsi, who stirred controversy last month when he banned AXN channel for airing "The World's Sexiest Advertisements," told Reuters in an interview Friday he was examining Fashion TV (FTV) for its adult content.

India banned FTV, a cable channel, in February 2002 for showing too much flesh but the decision was reversed a week later when the channel promised to adhere more closely to Indian sensibilities.

"I have got the highest number of complaints from schools, colleges about Fashion TV operations," said Dasmunsi, the information and broadcasting minister.

"The kind of things they show, even in school-time, examination-time, daytime, I think that's not fair.

"I straightly, plainly tell you, it is time for Fashion TV channel to think of whether they should confine their program beyond 11 (p.m.)," the minister added.

Music videos featuring sexy dancers and a suggestive advertisement of a woman licking an ice cream have irked Dasmunsi's ministry.

Fashion TV was not immediately available for comment.

Indian cultural values are different from those in Europe and the United States, Dasmunsi said, and this should be respected.

"Freedom of culture and expression should always be honoured but freedom to denigrate the culture, freedom to spoil and compromise the culture, should not be encouraged," he said.

AFTER DARK

Vehemently denying he was acting as the "moral police" in a country which gave the world the Kama Sutra sex book, the minister said he wanted only to preserve "Indian cultural values."

"I am a student of literature. I am as liberal in matters of culture, art and other things than any one else. I am second to none. But you see, there should be a limit," Dasmunsi said.

Dasmunsi said those who want to have a little fun, can do so after dark.

"I say show it, have your business, (but) make a restricted hours viewing," he said. "Let people see all this from 11 in the night to 5 in the morning. Let them suffer insomnia and see the doctors (and have) work problems."