Punjabi TV channel’s “intellectual property” claim to Sikh prayer broadcasts condemned

Critics have hit out at Punjab-based broadcaster PTC Punjabi’s claim that it holds worldwide “intellectual property” rights to the audio from the Daily Hukamnama at Harmandir Sahib, Amritsar.

The Daily Hukamnama is a reading from a random Ang (literally limb, meaning page) from the Sikh scriptural Guru, Sri Guru Granth Sahib Ji, taken every morning from Sri Harmandir Sahib; the busiest and most prominent Gurdwara in the Sikh faith. PTC Punjabi, which is owned by Punjab chief minister Parkash Singh Badal and family, is now blocking other organisations from sharing the audio from the Hukamnama online.

Punjabi online news outlet, Sikh Siyasat News, said that it had been broadcasting the audio from the Hukamnama, but recently found that it had been blocked when shared on social networking site Facebook. The news site had been using the audio available via the website of the Shiromani Gurdwara Parbhandak Committee (SGPC), the body responsible for the management of Gurdwaras of Punjab.

“PTC’s claims of exclusive rights over the audio is not justifiable in any manner,” said Parmjeet Singh, editor and administrator at Sikh news outlet Sikh Siyasat. He added that the news website has been in communication with SGPC chief secretary Dr Roop Singh to resolve the matter.

The move by PTC Punjabi has caused consternation among the Sikh community. Many are incensed at the audacity of the broadcaster’s claims of ownership of the broadcast.

“Gurbani is not a commodity that can be traded or wielded for market share,” explained Sikh educator Harwinder Singh Mander through a statement via Sikh news, opinion and social commentary outlet Naujawani. “The Shabad was revealed for the benefit of all mankind and as its custodian, the Sikh Panth has a responsibility to ensure that Gurbani is accessible to be heard, read and contemplated, without association to any corporate brand or individual who dares to assert their authority over it.”

He added that the matter demands the immediate attention of the SGPC and global Sikh community.

A statement from educational charity Basics of Sikhi added that: “The Daily Hukamnama from Harmandir Sahib is a crucial part of a Sikh’s relationship with their Guru.”

“The Hukamnama from Sri Harmandir Sahib is considered by Sikhs to be the edict for the day for the entire community. No company or organisation can claim intellectual property rights to this form of communication between the Guru and their Sikhs. Gurbani is divine revelation, and any broadcaster that genuinely respects Sri Guru Granth Sahib Ji would be doing all it can to make the Hukamnama more widely available, rather than seeking to restrict its reach.”

Bir Devinder Singh, former deputy speaker of Punjab Vidhan Sabha (Punjab legislative assembly), added that this is a “grave act of blasphemy” and showed “brutal contempt” by the SGPC against the basic principles of the Sikh faith.

“How could SGPC give exclusive rights on the Shabad being sung at Darbar Sahib to a corporate house, just because the Badal family has overwhelming stakes in the company? Tangible steps must be taken immediately to rescind such a profane agreement.”

PTC Punjabi explained that its competitive advantage comes from its daily broadcast of the Hukamnama and Kirtan (devotional hymns) from Harmandir Sahib, which the company has obtained the rights for in an exclusive 11-year deal with the SGPC.

Parent company PTC Network’s president and managing director Rabindra Narayan said, “PTC holds exclusive rights to broadcast by any means worldwide the Gurbani, including Hukamnama from Sri Darbar Sahib, Amritsar, and will prevent infringement of its rights.”

He added that while SGPC also hosts downloadable audio of Gurbani on its website, no one else is free to host it on their own website or social media pages.

“PTC has no issue if anyone shares PTC’s Facebook post of Hukamnama daily. It’s available worldwide for anyone to share. But nobody should attempt to steal audio and video and broadcast as their own.”

The Sikh Council UK also released a statement on the issue, stating they are “requesting immediate actions” which include encouraging the SGPC to “give an explanation to the Sangat justifying the apparent advantage given to a particular channel”.