So many languages. So many people. Even
more number of events occurring all the time. In a million-plus diverse country
like India the role of the media and daily news
agency is immensely important. It is the duty of the media agencies to spread
the light of knowledge and awareness to each corner of the country. Right from
the inception of mankind, communication has been of utmost importance. The
relevance remains the same, only the medium of exchange has undergone a sea
change.
There are dailies or magazines in almost
every regional language that caters to a wide variety of interests and people,
resulting in a high readership. Now it’s only natural that such a vats nation
have an equal number of measures for dispensing information, but it’s laudable
how the Indian press and media has developed its image in leaps and bounds.
Since the days of Independence, the
freedom of the press has always been an issue of much dispute with arguments
regarding freedom of speech and the relativity of the word “freedom”. But in
the past twenty years or so, issues that were never considered as part of the society even, have creeped into drawing
room conversations and made a lasting impact on the collective conscience.
In a recent survey, it has been found
that the “Dainik Jagran”, a Hindi newspaper is the most circulated in India,
followed by a host of other regional languages, which points to the importance of
the vernacular over the English language. Does it also, albeit disturbingly,
point to the fact that most Indians would prefer their Online
news paper India in vernacular and not in a language having global
acceptance? Is it a hint at the post-colonial trauma?
Whatever it may be, thanks to unending
efforts of the media journalists, Indians can now trust them more than the
soothsayers or any other influential person prone to getting away because of
their clout.