 The ruins of Moenja Daru along the river Indus on the western flank of the South Asian subcontinent are widely recognized as a universal symbol of the region's cultural and historical fountainhead. Four bears of the Seven Nations Sark, the South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation. Many centuries before the concept of a modern nation state was born here, South Asia have evolved into a unique cultural mosaic, encompassing almost all the great religions of the world. A truly remarkable medium that mirrors South Asia's more contemporary identity is the film industry, which churns out more movies annually than Hollywood and the West put together. Filmmaking is a serious business, not only in Mumbai, but also in neighboring Lahore, Pakistan's cinema hub, and in Sri Lanka, Bangladesh and Nepal. Most movie girls, however, identify South Asian cinema with the ubiquitous boy and girl dancing around trees. The moment you say dancing around the trees, you tell me you are sort of looking down upon it. I think it is a very much part of the South Asian theatrical tradition which is steeped in our culture. So one got to relate that to a larger cultural tradition which expresses things in a stylized form. It jettisons realism, the western notion of realism. I think this element of the song-dance formula, the operatic element, I think exists in the commercials in a manner. It exists in the films from Nepal right down to Sri Lanka. When Sark was founded in 1985, some of its key members were grappling with serious problems of underdevelopment and poverty. Over the past decade, a clear consensus has emerged among the seven member states to address a daunting array of problems afflicting its peoples. Endemic poverty has become the basis and root of numerous ailments. What is at risk is not the quality of life, but life itself. Indeed, a positive change with profound implications for poverty alleviation, a serious issue in the region, is already underway. However, the traditional education system in South Asian countries has been stretched to the limit by the population explosion, scarcity of resources and expansion of knowledge. There is more in common among the Sark countries than their cultural heritage. The fact is that most of the member countries are primarily agrarian economies. But with the globalization of the world economy staring them in the face, the emphasis has shifted to greater industrial output and higher exports. For that, the best place to start would be the neighborhood. For instance, Sri Lanka has already initiated a fast-track dialogue with India on accelerating the processes of trade liberalization. Pakistan, as and when it opens up its relationships with India, will find that a lot of its surplus gas and energy resources, which are now being developed by massive foreign investment projects, will seek its markets for that in India, they will perhaps provide transit facilities for gas and energy resources coming in from Central Asia, which will be needed to be marketed both in Pakistan as well as in India. So their own objective interests are now really moving towards developing a much more fruitful bilateral trading relationship. As the seven Sark nations step into the new century together with a renewed determination to succeed as a viable regional alliance, their sense of purpose will not be lessened by their sense of togetherness bequeathed by a common geography and a shared history.