The Ministry of Civil Aviation on Monday urged all airlines to play Indian music on their flights as well as at airports in the country, citing a request by the Indian Council of Cultural Research.
“Music played by most of the airlines across the globe is quintessential of the country to which the airline belongs, for example, Jazz in American airlines or Mozart in Austrian Airline and Arab music in an airline from the Middle East,” Ministry of Civil Aviation’s Joint Secretary Usha Padhee said in a letter to Directorate General of Civil Aviation chief Arun Kumar and Airports Authority of India chairperson Sanjeev Kumar.
The letter added, “But, Indian airlines seldom play Indian music in the flight, whereas, our music has a rich heritage and culture and it has one of the many things every Indian has a reason for [being] truly proud of it.”
On December 23, Aviation Minister Jyotiraditya Scindia visited the Delhi headquarters of the Indian Council of Cultural Research, an autonomous organisation of the Government of India working under the Ministry of External Affairs.
In a tweet, the council said that it had requested Scindia to promote Indian music in flights operated by Indian carriers. Several musicians, including Kaushal Inamdar, Anu Malik, Manjusha Patil Kulkarni and Malini Awasthi, were also present at the meeting.
The musicians along with Indian Council of Cultural Research chief and Rajya Sabha MP Vinay Sahasrabuddhe handed over a letter about their proposal, The Hindu reported.
“We urge you that if it can be made compulsory for Indian airlines to play Indian music, it will reach the people,” the letter said. “We have seen that airlines in India often only play foreign music, which neither one can enjoy, nor does one understand.”
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