Indian Youth: Swinging amidst responsibility & morality
The identity of the youth and their measure of responsibility and morality has been swinging between two polarities, ready to be juggled by the opinion makers of the country. The Indian society has time and again failed to view the youth objectively.
THE YOUNG population of the nation is its future. Gen next as it is called is supposed to step in the old shoes and take the country to newer and greater heights. The Indian society has time and again failed to view the youth objectively. Most people are prone to generalisation, hence rendering extremities to the youth culture. So, when a Abhinav Bindra or Sania Mirza get international recognition, the youth is heaped with adoration, admiration and pride. Phrases like ‘hope for the future’ and ‘nation makers’ have been used ad nauseam to grace such occasions.
On the other hand, when a Manu Sharma shoots Jessica Lal or a Alister Pereira runs over sleeping pavement dwellers, the young generation is automatically transformed and monsterised into irresponsible, complacent, irreverent hedonists. The identity of the young Indian population and its measure of responsibility and morality has been swinging between these two polarities, ready to be juggled by the opinion makers of the country.
So, who is the new young Indian? What defines the youth? Each one of us had to go through the phase when our families recognise a sudden change in us. ‘Slipping out of hand’ is what they call it. Definitely, youth of the twenty first century is more informed and so, more opinionated. This is a natural outcome of media exposure to the Western thought patterns and cultures. Friendships cross border, professions cut across stereotypes and morality becomes privately customised. The concept of a society has undergone a sea change at the hand of the young crowd in the metros and urban spaces. While they have more or less dissolved barriers of caste and creed and the constrictions of moral dos and don’ts to form a more free and more enterprising and mixed society, they also have marked their individual grounds. One can be tolerant to a variety of point of views and ways of life. However, everyone demands the need for the private space to think and be. This is simply adhering to the concept of ‘Live and Let Live’.
What most people fail to recognise is the stratification within the core of the youth. Young people are as varied as the rest. Psycho-social and ethical upbringing determines what one thinks and does. Sex, drugs and rock ‘n’ roll is not every young person’s story. Had the young population been as one dimensional as the generalisation proclaim them to be, then there would be something very wrong with the social machinery. There are some common strains like technological awareness, rebelliousness and the rest. Magsaysay Award Winner, Mahasweta Devi, finds today’s youth disappointing due to the lack of political activism and lackadaisical attitude to everything. According to her, no one wants to raise a finger or challenge the blatant wrongs happening everyday. The degree of correctness of such a point of view is debatable.
However, it was the youth who had thronged in support to Jessica Lal and Priyadarshini Mattoo.
Like at any other time, the youth is mostly confused regarding life and choices. There is a need for a proper orientation and inspiration. Young people need idols and guidance. In these time of changes, people start working very soon. There is a trend of summer jobs among teenagers. There is a frenzy to intern and get work experience while studying. While it is a positive turn towards self sufficiency and confidence, there is a need to think whether they are well equipped to handle the pressures and corruptions of an adult life so early.
One of the most common allegations against the youth is their irreverence towards law. There is supposedly no fear of law and order. First, in a social structure where corruption is the order of the day, bribery is an ailment not confined only to the youth. This, however, is no excuse. This contempt for law and order is something that has seeped in over a period of time. Delhi stands out as the crime capital of India. According to statistics taken early in 2009, the youth, especially those below 25 years of age, are involved in crime (murder, rape or dacoity) with the majority of them being 'first timers'.
Around 850 of the 891 people, which is 95 per cent of those arrested for committing murders last year were first timers while about 510 (57 per cent) were below 25 years, the crime statistics for 2008 said. Ninety-three per cent of those arrested were illiterate or school dropouts, it said. The figures for 2007 were also similar as 92 per cent murder accused were first timers while 70 per cent were illiterate. Unemployment and disparities in income are the main causes for youngsters to take up to crime. They represent a vulnerable lot and easy prey to criminal gangs who use them for committing crimes.
With the cosmopolitan culture setting in, certain phenomena are fast emerging. Partying, clubbing and pubbing are all byproducts of the English and American lifestyle. Open markets, free trade, globalisation have invaded education, work as well as social circles. Hence, such influx is a natural consequence. Similarly, the concepts of yoga, karma and arranged marriage have found followers in the West. This is a balanced exchange. The Indian society, however, does not take to the Western add-ons too kindly. Moral policing has found headline space, thanks to the skewed perception of culture of a few. This is an era of no boundaries and the youth is open to influences from across the globe. It is up to them what they want to pick and choose and how they want to apply it to their lives. Dismantling Valentine’s Day merchandise and roughing up girls in pubs amount to nothing more than a hysterical show of blatant and irrational high handedness.
Indian families are cynical to the Western concepts majorly because of two opinions- that everything Western is banal and that everything Western will draw their children away. Such opinions in a way insult the ability of the youth to think and make a right decision. It has been widely observed that young Indians have learnt to balance their lives and ideologies, be it in family gatherings or festivals. This is true even when live-in relationships and pre-marital sex rates are going up in not only the metros but also in suburbs and rural belts. Despite the pride attached to Indian-ness, there are certain hypocrisies that are a part of the culture. The youth tries to break those. It has shed inhibitions and become more outspoken about its sexual and marital needs. The society needs to take a note of that.
Blind aping of the west is a passé with the gen next. They know where to draw the line. Be it career, family relations, political orientation or sexual choices the youth has tried to find a unique identity. The music, films and art shows. Even the present cabinet shows young minds at work. There is immense potential in today’s youth that needs to be tapped and channelised in a proper way by a responsible outlook. Easy money and access to wide options have spoilt many a lives. Caution and regulation has to be practiced by the youth itself. The freshness in view and action needs to be respected and given a chance and not shunned by rigid culture vultures. Only then can the country progress.
So, who is the new young Indian? What defines the youth? Each one of us had to go through the phase when our families recognise a sudden change in us. ‘Slipping out of hand’ is what they call it. Definitely, youth of the twenty first century is more informed and so, more opinionated. This is a natural outcome of media exposure to the Western thought patterns and cultures. Friendships cross border, professions cut across stereotypes and morality becomes privately customised. The concept of a society has undergone a sea change at the hand of the young crowd in the metros and urban spaces. While they have more or less dissolved barriers of caste and creed and the constrictions of moral dos and don’ts to form a more free and more enterprising and mixed society, they also have marked their individual grounds. One can be tolerant to a variety of point of views and ways of life. However, everyone demands the need for the private space to think and be. This is simply adhering to the concept of ‘Live and Let Live’.
What most people fail to recognise is the stratification within the core of the youth. Young people are as varied as the rest. Psycho-social and ethical upbringing determines what one thinks and does. Sex, drugs and rock ‘n’ roll is not every young person’s story. Had the young population been as one dimensional as the generalisation proclaim them to be, then there would be something very wrong with the social machinery. There are some common strains like technological awareness, rebelliousness and the rest. Magsaysay Award Winner, Mahasweta Devi, finds today’s youth disappointing due to the lack of political activism and lackadaisical attitude to everything. According to her, no one wants to raise a finger or challenge the blatant wrongs happening everyday. The degree of correctness of such a point of view is debatable.
However, it was the youth who had thronged in support to Jessica Lal and Priyadarshini Mattoo.
Like at any other time, the youth is mostly confused regarding life and choices. There is a need for a proper orientation and inspiration. Young people need idols and guidance. In these time of changes, people start working very soon. There is a trend of summer jobs among teenagers. There is a frenzy to intern and get work experience while studying. While it is a positive turn towards self sufficiency and confidence, there is a need to think whether they are well equipped to handle the pressures and corruptions of an adult life so early.
One of the most common allegations against the youth is their irreverence towards law. There is supposedly no fear of law and order. First, in a social structure where corruption is the order of the day, bribery is an ailment not confined only to the youth. This, however, is no excuse. This contempt for law and order is something that has seeped in over a period of time. Delhi stands out as the crime capital of India. According to statistics taken early in 2009, the youth, especially those below 25 years of age, are involved in crime (murder, rape or dacoity) with the majority of them being 'first timers'.
Around 850 of the 891 people, which is 95 per cent of those arrested for committing murders last year were first timers while about 510 (57 per cent) were below 25 years, the crime statistics for 2008 said. Ninety-three per cent of those arrested were illiterate or school dropouts, it said. The figures for 2007 were also similar as 92 per cent murder accused were first timers while 70 per cent were illiterate. Unemployment and disparities in income are the main causes for youngsters to take up to crime. They represent a vulnerable lot and easy prey to criminal gangs who use them for committing crimes.
With the cosmopolitan culture setting in, certain phenomena are fast emerging. Partying, clubbing and pubbing are all byproducts of the English and American lifestyle. Open markets, free trade, globalisation have invaded education, work as well as social circles. Hence, such influx is a natural consequence. Similarly, the concepts of yoga, karma and arranged marriage have found followers in the West. This is a balanced exchange. The Indian society, however, does not take to the Western add-ons too kindly. Moral policing has found headline space, thanks to the skewed perception of culture of a few. This is an era of no boundaries and the youth is open to influences from across the globe. It is up to them what they want to pick and choose and how they want to apply it to their lives. Dismantling Valentine’s Day merchandise and roughing up girls in pubs amount to nothing more than a hysterical show of blatant and irrational high handedness.
Indian families are cynical to the Western concepts majorly because of two opinions- that everything Western is banal and that everything Western will draw their children away. Such opinions in a way insult the ability of the youth to think and make a right decision. It has been widely observed that young Indians have learnt to balance their lives and ideologies, be it in family gatherings or festivals. This is true even when live-in relationships and pre-marital sex rates are going up in not only the metros but also in suburbs and rural belts. Despite the pride attached to Indian-ness, there are certain hypocrisies that are a part of the culture. The youth tries to break those. It has shed inhibitions and become more outspoken about its sexual and marital needs. The society needs to take a note of that.
Blind aping of the west is a passé with the gen next. They know where to draw the line. Be it career, family relations, political orientation or sexual choices the youth has tried to find a unique identity. The music, films and art shows. Even the present cabinet shows young minds at work. There is immense potential in today’s youth that needs to be tapped and channelised in a proper way by a responsible outlook. Easy money and access to wide options have spoilt many a lives. Caution and regulation has to be practiced by the youth itself. The freshness in view and action needs to be respected and given a chance and not shunned by rigid culture vultures. Only then can the country progress.
.very nicely written article. covers almost all aspects of todays youth and sums up all in one page!!! writing style is very lucid and clear...great article!!!
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