Punjabi channel wins hearts in Birmingham

Sangat TV,a Birmingham-based channel mainly in Punjabi,has emerged as the unlikely hero of the ongoing unrest in Britain.

Sangat TV,a Birmingham-based channel mainly in Punjabi,has emerged as the unlikely hero of the ongoing unrest in Britain with live coverage of events that included showing its correspondents help the police tackle rioters.

Indian-origin presenter Upinder Randhawas sensitive coverage where he expresses disgust at the rioting in Birmingham,has captured the imagination of viewers in Birmingham and beyond.

PM David Cameron has also hailed the contribution of Sangat TV,saying its coverage was an example of a media companys commitment to social responsibility.

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Launched in September 2010,the channel is owned by charity organisation Sangat Trust and is supported by donations from gurdwaras and individuals across the UK. Most of its programming is in Punjabi and includes gurbani and educational programming.

Media commentator Josh Halliday wrote in The Guardian that While broadcasting Goliaths such as Sky News and ITN have flown in big-name presenters,a couple of Sikh men armed with a point-and-shoot camera have stolen the headlines.

Sangat TV,a four-man operation in a makeshift newsroom in Edgbaston,Birmingham,has had a good riot. Its guerrilla journalism,mostly broadcast live using a handheld camera,has been rebroadcast by CNN,the BBC and media outlets in India, Josh added.

Ranbir Singh Attwal,the 50-year-old community leader behind the channel,is delighted with the attention the channel has received. He said that its about informing people and then all joining together against the criminal element. The whole community can outnumber any bad or evil,even if the gangsters outnumber the police. You can only win people with love, he added.

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The channels most jaw-dropping moment was on Tuesday night,while it filmed from a car a police pursuit of young rioters down a Birmingham backstreet. With police lagging far behind,presenter Upinder Randhawa shouted to the officers,Do you need a lift? Well give you a lift. Get in the car. Twenty seconds later,the rioters were arrested.

Hours earlier,he had been close to tears on air while filming a group of distraught Muslim men who had come to know about the death of their friend.