In recent years, when governments began to accept joy or happiness as an index or measure of development, the old attitudes and standards of development also started changing. The index or measure of development in context of India is not new. The ultimate aims of development were experience of happiness, bliss and joy. After independence people thought and considered market, materials including state affiliation as development and regarded these as index of development. Due to this definition of development, India also came to join in the so called race of development. Since those days and times, the directors of development are still now the UN and the monetary institutions developed along with it. Their indices or factors of development went on changing. The reason of this change was that whatever aims or targets they set for development, these go on eluding without coming under their control or grip. Journalism or media has been also informing and explaining the same concept of development.
Now, it has been clearly understood that the aim of development is neither to construct buildings nor to accumulate materials. The aims of achieving personal prosperity and making our society modern are actually needed for getting peace, happiness, and love in human life and establishing universal brotherhood and cooperation in human beings. All proponents of development regard and accept these ideas. In Human Development Index (HDI), it has also been regarded that the impact of activities relating to development should be reflected and shown in human life. The human being should be healthy in body and mind. Since the time of savagery till the time of modernity today, as many as societies also have regarded and accepted this remark as development. The underdeveloped countries of Africa and Latin America as well as the developed countries of Europe and America have also regarded this meaning of development. Therefore, the activities of development should have more integration and relationship with values, human and cultural. Through the developmental activities, the values of love and cooperation should be enhanced among human beings. They should not hate each other or one another. Let not the sickness or diseases of violence and bad conduct remain in their minds. Let the people love and cooperate with other people of the world by remaining in their own countries. Instead of roughly and nastily competing for materials, market development and productions, whatever activities are being done we should see them from the perspective of joy and happiness. There is more requirement of the enhancement of good human behaviour than the requirement of capital for development of cultural values and behaviour. So, instead of declaring about the increase in number of millionaires or billionaires, it is better to make plan to declare these measures or factors. “Now there are no backwards; now, there are no disabled; now, there are no unhappy or ill people.”
For all these measures and factors of developments to be made practically possible, all thinkers, administrators and media stakeholders including owners and professionals should have to change their present thoughts and concepts of development. By keeping man as the centre of developmental process, we should have to make plans and ways to integrate prosperity or growth with cultural values in such a manner that prosperity remains along with the cultural values, but does not against them. Regarding achievement of this integration, we should not expect more help from the market. Man will not do the welfare of society by risking his profit. In this fresh or renewed context, it can be viewed or understood as taking a decision of employing or investing a definite amount of profit for the developmental activities.
In the agendas of political parties, development is there as a theory; but this development actually lies with the holders of power or authority. When the leaders are in power or authority, they do not take such steps which people want or, otherwise, their antagonists or opposite parties want. The slogan of struggle for development is the mask of the party in power. It is said that rules and methods of administration are meant for people, but in reality, people do not get priority or are not given priority in this at all. People are meant for rules. If rules are meant for people, there should be flexibility in them. But this flexibility is either sacrificed for gaining vested self-interest or it is not there at all. Yes, we can keep hope in media, because its main aims are awakening of people, upliftment of people and creating awareness in people. Media and media men can be so inspiring that people can build their future on the basis of their wishes or desires. But, unfortunately, during the last two decades, media itself has turned to be like a business tycoon in the sway of making profit. In this condition of lack of values, only some journalists or newspapers can be remembered who/which are consistently working for the establishment of values like brotherhood and other such Indian cultural values, by going against the current sway of profit-making and by not caring about their own state of existence. Yes, their number is very less.
Recently, a seminar on “Traditions of Journalism” was organised in Bhopal, in which the role of newspapers to form society on the basis of cultural values is not only discussed but also a follow-up action plan for the same was thought out after the seminar. It is also said that two dozen newspapers participated in it and associated them with this noble thought. Now, it will be haste to tell what its impact is. But, at least, this can be said that though it may not be impacting or influential, yet they are giving their voice to such a need which is the call of present time and journalism. If the readers and people associate and assimilate them with the act of achievement and fulfilment of this need, the media, which is bent upon making all sorts of compromise for profit-making, will be compelled to associate and assimilate in it in order to keep its face bright.
The main reason of this discussion is that the source of cultural values lies in such traditions of society with which man remains associated and assimilated, and thereby makes the development of his own and the society. In one meaning, spirituality is also the source of cultural values. Spirituality is the foundation of seeing, understanding and experiencing man in community or organization. It integrates man with the community, helps in associating the people of the whole society and world with benevolent developmental thoughts and enables them to experience their assimilation in all. The mind of man becomes benevolent and also according to the patterns of social thought and behaviour, and thereby man creates his own common pattern of social behaviour by assimilating the thoughts of all others and also by empathizing with all. When such development becomes possible along with development of materials and humanity, there are the possibilities of practical brotherhood and cooperation among the people or human beings, but no sign of competition at all. It may seem aerial or impracticable, but it is not impossible. In almost all societies, the thought or imagination of heaven or Satyuga, somewhere or other, must have come or emerged from man’s sub-conscious mind, and which must be true. That, which must have been true, can also be true in true sense of the term.
Hindi Script: Prof. Kamal Dixit, Editor
Translated into English: Dr. B. K. Yudhisthir, Associate Editor, The World Renewal
Hindi Article: Manviy evam Sanskrutik Mulyon Par Loutne ki Jarurat.pdf