NEW MEDIA ORDER FOR A SAFE SOUTH ASIA

In developing countries like India, paradigms of development have hitherto addressed the primary problems of hunger, illiteracy, poverty, transportation and communication. However, the programs and practices of the current media, which have become sleek, savvy, aggressive and all pervasive, need a serious look in orderto come out with a new paradigm of development altogether. In the quest of cohesive progress in and among the South Asian countries, a comprehensive and complementary cooperation among various mass media of these nations is indispensable. The study undertaken recognizes that the problems faced by these nations are similar. Ethnic mixing among these nations adds to the emotions of the media practitioners intheir functioning. Cooperation is based on emotions. Common cultural base help trigger common emotions. Entertainment is the crux here and the Indian media has it in abundance. Media entertainment will generate good revenue for the region. The presence of media in the region brings lot of comforts in terms of economy, labour and turnover. Freedom of press is high in India. The paper explores that though the growth of media in India has been ominously commercial; content wise it is comfortable and can contribute a lot to South Asia. There is a huge demand for Indian soaps in SAARC nations. The paper critically examines as to how the hurdles to the flow of information from international scene have resulted in Third world developing its own objective, indigenous information mechanisms, which are invariably successful. It is found that media cooperation could remove the myths of politically motivated hatred between these countries. It can nurture tourism exchange, and foster unity. It can act as a deterrent against terrorism, help during natural calamities, contribute ingenerating awareness on pro environment practices, address social problems, and foster cultural and sports exchange and contribute in providing quality media education. The study affirms that with the support of technology from among its neighboring countries, Indian media as a front-end tool could play a crucial role in making adifference and holding reigns of progress in the region, and immerse in yet another successful institution building exercise.