YOUTH CAN DRIVE THE CHANGE IF THEY GET THE RIGHT GUIDENCE We are the world’s fifth-largest economy. We are set to become the second largest manufacturing economy after China. Seventy per cent of India’s GDP is domestically driven. And our success in many sectors, including IT, is well-respected the world over.
We are a sovereign country and the largest democracy in the world. But look at it another way: our neighborhood is consumed with terrorism. We have our share of internal strife and our economy is slowing. We have a growing population of young, educated but unemployed youth that we have to deal with, and our focus is shifting away from development and investment. We still have a lot going for us, however.
We are a stable democracy and, most importantly, our youth have a very strong entrepreneurial spirit. If you take the creative world, the media world, the IT world, it’s the youth who are taking these sectors forward. By 2020, more than 70 per cent of the Indian population will be under 34, and India will continue to be among the most populous countries in the world. Technology tools are shortening the learning curve for today’s youth. Today’s youth are also the first generation to encounter a flat world, but they also need empowerment and trust from the people who have shaped our economy and our country in previous decades. Our youth power also has a huge responsibility.
Our safety net is better than the social systems of the West where unemployment is not being addressed. In the West, normally the individual is left to fend for himself. We have respect for our seniors; we take care of our parents and elders and our family values remain strong. I think we should take credit for taking all these responsibilities as part of our inherent culture in India. So in conclusion what I feel is this: the Indian youth have a world of opportunity and responsibilities ahead. In my view, it is not important as to who drives the change we need today but instead focus on and ensure we get the change we need. I have no doubt in my mind that the youth of India will play a very major role in that change.
The youth are at the forefront in all the spheres like bollywood, sports and everything. In India we have seen that if you want to make a change, it’s the politician who has to make the change. That may be true for people in other fields as well but the impression is that you have to become an MP or a minister or an MLA and then only can you drive change and be an instrument of it. That’s a wrong notion but we have been seeing a flurry of youth coming into politics as well, and you might say we only see some politicians’ sons who actually make it to big positions.
But on the ground, if you go deeper into the strata, you will see that the youth are coming in at the grassroots level, at the village level, they are coming into their legislative assemblies and that is what is making the difference. When you go out, we see today, the impression that you carry of modern India, you see young boys and girls in campuses, all focused, and then you realise that these youth don’t carry burdens anymore. We have seen a whole new India that is coming alive over these past two years. The common complaint, as Rahul Gandhi said, is that the youth are not being represented in terms of percentage in this country today. Political parties in India must make sure that they are catering to the social compositions our country is made up of.
The other aspect where India stands to gain is where we try in years to come to reap the benefits of demographic dividends that come from such a young population.
But at the same time, when we travel to rural areas in Uttar Pradesh, wherever you go, you see vibrant youth willing to move ahead, wanting to join the growth story of India. They don’t need any sort of pity or doles. What they need is equal opportunity. You give them the basics, you give them the education, you give them health, you give them the connectivity and they will be there. That’s where the opportunity lies.
I wish to conclude by saying that we have seen in the 19th century, Great Britain was there, 20th, USA was there, and in the 21st it will be India for sure and the youth will be at the forefront of the new century.
References: Some of the fine speeches by the great eminent in the India Conclave 2009
Regrards
Ajit Pratap Singh
(ajitbiomed@gmail.com)
