Jahoka Shakai: Is it far from us ?

Gautam Sharma *

The People's Chronicle, an english daily was launched at Hotel Classic, Imphal on September 06 2012
Pix - Bunti Phurailatpam

...there's in an increasing demand for 'Right to know' coz' information is a source of power, a means of empowerment, a resource to individual and society, and can be also a mechanic to maintain transparency in terms of administration, governance, etc.

MY hunch, most developed countries have most media and least developed countries have least media. Being a least developing state, of a least developed country, we have least media. One underlying causes for underdevelopment of a country may be the underdevelopment of communication networks and its required resources or infrastructures.

Methinks that there has been an inextricable linked between media and development, and development also seems heavily reliant on media to a certain level, --- may it be for economic or socio-politico or cultural development, so on and so forth.

Meseems, now media is a source of power to empower the people, a means of economic expansion, a potent contributor for strengthening the culture and a way to address the issues that we encountered. This is not my finding of an empirical research, but just a feeling and few writers of international journals and books have also viewed and opined the same.

The news of the birth of new English daily christened as, 'People's Chronicle' made me recall a term called 'JAHOKA SHAKAI', coined in Japan during mid-1960s, which literally means an 'Information Society'.

In 'Jahoka Shakai', contrary to our society and agricultural-based-society, the primary activities of a majority workforce are in the area of information production, process, transmission and distribution of information goods and services. And the information constitutes the basic resources, which creates wealth, peaks the economic crescendo, and the information workers are the main segment of employees.

Such society is characterized by abundant information, in term of both stock & flow, quick & efficient distribution, easy and inexpensive access to information for every member of Society where the information industries are in an optimistic level of competition. Where the dependency on agricultural economy is less, where rate of unemployment, inequality among people and poverty are least in numbers.

Is such society too distant from us, how long it will take to experience such transition?

The time is not so opportune to determine an answer coz' even at the best of times, we have least media outlet. Our papers and TV channel are least in numbers, both English & Vernacular published and broadcast from the state, which quench the people's thirst for information. We buy more information from outside than our own, to satisfy our informational needs. And the current numbers of existing media enterprises, institutes and organizations seem not sufficient enough to cater to the invisible needs & demands to follow the global trending competitions. So, 'Jahoka Shakai' is very far from us and it's not an opportune time to dream of it.

As, we are still sandwiched between globalization & underdevelopment, neither we are speedily approaching to the line of globalization, nor are we gaining a swift momentum in term of development and the settled goals, to be achieved for this millennium. So 'Jahoka Shakai' is still far from us.

Phenomenally, we still bought, to receive and watch; more imported channels than our own custom-made, our newspaper contents are more dedicated on foreign nations, neighboring states than our own local. Coz' we don't have much options, the availability is less, the contents are limited, coz' we have least information industries. So we have to accept what is available and offered to us even though we don't show our contentedness.

Today, it also seems to me that information rich people are ahead of information poor people. That is why there's in an increasing demand for 'Right to know' coz' information is a source of power, a means of empowerment, a resource to individual and society, and can be also a mechanic to maintain transparency in terms of administration, governance, etc.

Inequality in terms of information sharing, dissemination and distributions or lack of adequate information may be the possible reasons why the development lines are not so speedy and complaints over not reaching the govt. schemes to the right persons. Indeed, many of us have less information on existing govt. sponsored schemes & social entitlements that are specially designed for us, how to avail it, where it is available. How we cope with the world around us and the reality we are existing gives us a glance that 'Jahoka Shakai' is far from us.

So, we should appreciating the initiatives and efforts of a person or a group that would broaden the media horizon in the state, and we should honour any new information-business and it services to benefit people, to an extent, as increasing numbers of competitors in a field compels stiff competition, innovations, where it may be in terms of quality, quantity and its cost. But unfortunately, we have least competitors in the market. So 'Jahoka Shakai' seems very far from us.

The 'Jahoka Shakai' is very far from us, because the other reason is that we are so selfish enough that we ourselves have compelled to become; a buyer than a seller, an employee than an employer, a follower than trail- blazer, an agent/dealer than an entrepreneur…

Newsperson: Today, in a press conference, Mr. Techno has admitted the reason why he doesn't read history. He said that watching history is more convenience to him, than reading. He added, watching history can help retained longer in his memory than reading.

Tagline: 'Fortunes comes after fame, for those people who fight for space & attention'.