Zee TV and the Creation of Hindi Media Communities in Singapore

Indian communities in Singapore, especially of non-Tamil sub-ethnicity, have received renewed impetus to replenish their cultural ties with India as a homeland with the advent of Hindi Cable channels such as Zee TV, Sony Entertainment, and Star Plus. The availability of cable networks in the early 1990s and the proliferation of Hindi media channels have led to a renaissance of Hindi culture, fashion, cuisine, custom, and ritual among the Indian communities in Singapore. Timed against the background of India Rising, this has also fueled the impetus for Hindi speaking communities in Singapore to travel back to India to witness locations that have been included in the shooting of soaps, shop for specific fashion items introduced via the cable, participate in pilgrimage locations, and donate towards political and social causes that affect India. The Hindi cable channels have created new diasporic spheres that facilitate a sense of belonging with the homeland which was previously unimaginable.