The article by Asghar Ali Enginer (see previous newswire post) is bang on target. People, by an large, just want to live peacefully in a manner in which their basic needs are met with a minimum assurance, and there is sufficient space for their creativity, personal development and for the realization of cultural aspirations, and a sense of community, without which human beings quickly begin to feel that life is meaningless.

However we are stuck in a situation where the institutions of governance (including the judiciary) are all based on the colonial model, and propagate an extractive form of development, that completely alters human geography (which is what large dams and mega power projects essentially do), destroys nature society relationships by appropriating the commons, and eventually even all human relations are commodified. So-called 'democracy' is totally top-down, with a vast bureaucracy that is totally unaccountable to the people. All this is completely alien to the history and culture of the people of the Indian subcontinent, and is steadily propelling our societies towards complete chaos and violence.

While the situation in the Indian sub-continent has its unique characteristics, given its long history, tremendous diversity and peculiar social problems, by-and-large the same story is in evidence all over the Global South.

Unfortunately, only a few academically inclined, and socially proviledged, people, and some grassroots activists, who have had the opportunity to study history, philosophy and cultures from different perspectives, and travel to different places, realize all this.

The vast majority of the population either have no opportunity to decolonize their minds (as they struggling to fend for their families with their backs against the wall at all times), or are conditioned by the corporate-owned mass media to be indifferent, mindless consumerists, completely alienated from their history, culture, nature and traditions.

All this can be altered only if citizens (particularly women's groups) all over the Indian subcontinent (South Asia) get together to form their own public television channel that can beam excellent documentaries about these issues (there are many excellent documentaries that have been made in India and elsewhere, but do not have an audience as the corporate-media will not air them), interviews with academics and activists, experiments in alternatives etc. into every home. The audio component of these programmes can also be broadcast via shortwave or satellite radio, so that people who do not have access to television sets are not left out.

The primary task is of sensitizing the urban elite and the middleclasses. So, even if the programmes are in English, and one or two languages (Hindi/Urdu) understood by most people, it would still be a good start.

My guess is that if one million families (or women) donate Rs. 10 a month (which would amount to a total of Rs. one crore or about $200,000 per month), it would be more than adequate to support such a public television operation. Its just a question of a few key people, with the necessary vision, energy and the connections, to take this up as their primary misssion, and create the necessary institutions and networks. Is anybody listening?