Hindu organisation in South Africa asks broadcaster to increase screen-time of Hindu-based programmes

A prominent Hindu organisation in South Africa has urged the country's national public broadcaster to increase the screen-time allocated to Hindu-based programming in their network.

South African Hindu Dharma Sabha (SAHDS) founder and president Ram Maharaj made this plea on Thursday wrote to South African Broadcasting Corporation (SABC) asking the broadcaster to reinstate ''Sadhana'', with new content.

Maharaj's plea came as the SABC announced that it would introduce new content on only one of its two weekly Hindu programmes on its services.

The other Hindu devotional programme titled ''Aum'', is being repeated for the past three years now, he said.

"SAHDS is a highly respected, national Hindu religious and cultural organisation including all linguistic and denominational groups. (It) is a mass-based, grass-roots, inclusive, democratic, performance-driven, developmental, progressive and caring organisation," Maharaj said in an open letter to senior officials of SABC and the parliament urging them to increase the coverage of Hindu-based programmes.

Maharaj conceded that the SABC had financial challenges to produce new content due to limited income from advertising.

He appealed to Indian businesses to support the programme through advertising.

"We duly note that while programmes, including cultural and religious content, might not make profits or revenues, we fit in as part of the public mandate," he said.

Maharaj proposed that 10am be the starting time and not 7:30am as is the current schedule.

He reckoned that this would enhance viewership ratings.

"Most of the almost 5,70,000 Hindus in South Africa cannot afford the pay-TV channels available from India via satellite in South Africa, and it is the duty of the SABC to meet the constitutional rights of this community on the free-to-air public broadcast channels of the SABC,'' he added.

(This story has not been edited by Devdiscourse staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)