KOZHIKODE: A group of entrepreneurs, associated with the Samastha Kerala Jam-Iyyathul Ulema, has come together to launch a new television channel which will “uphold moral values even while offering entertainment to the audience.” Darsana Television, controlled by the Sathydhara Communications, will air programmes from March 2010.
“We’ve been doing the ground work for the channel for the past one year. All the arrangements, including signing of the agreement for using satellite, are complete. The studio complex is located at Nadakkavu,” Siddique Faizy, the Chief Operating Officer of the channel, told ‘Express’.
Panakkad Sayed Sadiqali Shihab Thangal is the chairman of the channel while Ismail Kunhu Haji, a Muscatbased businessman, is the managing director and Milton Francis head o f programmes.
According to Faizy, the channel will be an independent one and will not have any organisational links. “Samastha will have nothing to do with the content appearing on the channel, which will be offering clean entertainment to the audience.” ‘Sathyadhara’ is the official magazine of the Samastha Kerala Sunni Students Federation.
“But the channel will not be like Sathyadhara. We selected the name ‘Darsana’ as we found it suitable to our channel. Darsana TV will have all the ingredients of an entertainment channel,” he stressed.
Samastha Kerala Jam- Iyyathul Ulema, a body of Muslim scholars, is the largest Muslim organisation in the country, which runs thousands of madrassas in India and abroad.
Founded in 1926, Samastha is now led by eminent scholars like president Kalambadi Muhammad Musaliyar and general secretary Cherusseri Sainudheen Musaliyar.