Shubha Mudgal furious over DD airing her concert without consent

Shubha Mudgal was shocked to find her performance at the Bhakti Sangeet Utsav being aired on DD Bharati without her permission. Irked at the infringement of performers' rights, Mudgal says, "I had performed at the Bhakti Sangeet Utsav in New Delhi on the invitation of Sahitya Kala Parishad on April 30. My clear understanding with Sahitya Kala Parishad was that I would be performing live at the festival, and no permissions were sought or granted for audio-video recording or telecasting on any channels."

Shubha Mudgal

The singer has written to Information and Broadcasting Minister Smriti Irani and the DG of Doordarshan. Mudgal, adds that despite the agreement, DD Bharati made an "unauthorised recording" and telecast it "on more than one occasion". "I wrote to the Director General (DG) of Doordarshan and copied the message to the Minister of Information & Broadcasting [Smriti Irani] on Friday night. I'm awaiting a response from them."

She was also dissatisfied with the quality of the telecast of the concert, where she was joined by husband Dr Aneesh Pradhan on the tabla, Sudhir Nayak on the harmonium and Pavithra Chari on the tanpura. "A telecast of such poor quality audio is detrimental to our reputations as musicians. DD Bharati misspelled Dr Aneesh Pradhan's name. The tanpura player remained unidentified and unacknowledged in the telecast," she says.

Pradhan is dismayed at how channels repeatedly air programmes without seeking permission from the concerned performers. "The channels feel that their direct understanding with the organisers is sufficient to record and disseminate these programmes, and that they do not have to seek permissions from the performers. Clearly, the law states otherwise and empowers performers in such matters." We tried contacting the channel, but the officials remained unavailable for comment.