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I am pleased to report that Sydney’s 2Day FM Radio station and Kyle Sandilands have realised the mistake in their comments and issued an apology. This apology has been on air by Kyle, and in writing by Adam Lang, General Manager of 2day FM Radio station, who had sent a letter to me yesterday.
This is from what Kyle has said.
” I’m apologising….. anyone that’s Indian that listens to this show knows that I love Indians…. I don’t discriminate. I love everyone. I don’t care where they are, where they are from, what colour they are, I just made the mistake that the river which, to me, looks polluted, I said it was a junkyard and I did not realise it was holy.”
This is what Adam Lang said. ” In this instance, I hope that you feel that Kyle Sandilands and 2Day FM have taken full responsibility for the offence caused by remarks made. The offence was not intended but that consequence is absolutely accepted and we do sincerely apologise.”
I have heard the audio and it is good.
The Council of Indian Australians’ Press release is here. CIA_Press_Release_No12_2Day-FM-apologises
With this, the matter arising from Kyle’s comments has been resolved to our satisfaction. We are happy that it has been resolved so quickly. This chapter is now closed.
I urge Indian media in India and Indians all over the World to close this chapter too. There is no need for any campaign or protest anymore. Desi Kangaroos TV clip is here. http://youtu.be/LwIsrAaKilU
As I had said in my Sydney Morning Herald interview yesterday http://tinyurl.com/4xvkx2s , this matter was not between Australia and India. It was between Kyle and the listeners. It did affect Indians all over the world however. A lot of Indians were upset but some also agreed with him.
In Australia, just like India, press is free. Govt of Australia does not control press here, just like India. The protest by us and people every where else did work. This is a sign that media in a free country does listen to public opinion.
Let us take emotions out from this debate now. River Ganges is a Holy river in Hinduism. Accepting it as a Holy River is fine and true, but it is not enough. National Govt and State Governments in India have not done enough to stop pollution of this river or any other river. This is unpardonable. How can they allow so much waste going into this River in the cities along the course of Ganges?
Protests and campaigns are fine and justified, but they alone will not achieve results. There is a need to take real action to stop pollution of Ganges and recover it from the damage. Will that happen or will this outrage die out in a few days? Will people forget that the basic issue is that India has allowed Ganges and other rivers getting so polluted?
Let us take the message that India has a serious issue of pollution of its natural resources and let us accept that it is all man-made. All of us already know it and Kyle’s comments have only re-inforced this fact. We have been shown a mirror and the things were not pretty. That needs to change.
Although we do love to blame bureaucracy and political system for the problem of this nature, it remains a fact that we too are responsible for it. It is about time that we accept this fact and do something effective and fast.
Dr Yadu Singh/Sydney/3rd Aug, 2011
Yadu Singh's Blog 
A reasonable outcome from your perspective, Yadu, but not good enough from India’s perspective, I’d suggest.
Kyle should have been dismissed from his job.
I gather this man has a history of use of foul language. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kyle_Sandilands (this event should be added to the long list against him).
Kyle is simply unfit to be running a radio show. And we have should not be nice to such people and accept their TOTALLY meaningless apologies. Such people never change.
Anyway, I do know clearly now whose radio show I’ll switch off.
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