BACK ISSUES   |    SEPTEMBER 2009   |    CURRENT ISSUE  

AUGUST 2009

The biggest is not always the best; but India, with a billion-plus population, can indeed leverage its greatest asset — THE YOUTH — to become the best. THE TEENAGER looks at the nation that is turning 63 years ‘young’ in her independence.

Accepting his first Golden Globe award, and a first by an Indian artist in the history, early this year, Indian musical sensation A. R. Rahman said: “This is for the billion-plus people in India.” This was soon followed by Rahman and others winning top honours at the Oscars, making the country of a billion-plus population erupt in celebration. As India celebrates her sixty-third Independence Day this month, the question we need to ask is what should be the top priority of our leaders?

On the current education scenario

Mahima Shashank, Chennai
According to me, good education is the
knowledge which is to be taught in such
a way that the student grasps the concept easily,
understands it and applies it whenever in need.
Unfortunately, the current education system
focuses a bit too much on rote-memorization
instead of practically explaining various lessons
to students. Teachers keep marks as their sole motive and ignore
the fact whether the student understands the subject or not.

Anuja Siraj, Thiruvananthapuram
Good education, according to me, is something
beyond the text books that encourages practical
learning and generates a feeling of being
responsible for one another. The current education
scenario is completely based on text books,
overloading the student with examination
anxiety. The real examination is life and the child needs to be
prepared for that.

Abheeshta Nath, Thiruvananthapuram
Good education is a holistic approach helping one to realize oneself
by bringing out the best in him / her. It should equip him/her with
life-skills to become a better human being with strong faith in God
and empathy for fellow human beings.

Despite global economic slowdown there seems to be a tremendous sense of confidence among Indians. Obviously, the financial meltdown has not impacted India as much as it has the European and US economies. There is a positive vibe among the rest of the world for everything that is Indian. Rahman made the Indian music ’cool’ in the west. Tata Group demonstrated the power of Indian engineers by creating the world’s cheapest car Tata Nano. The Indian conglomerate made the automobile industry of the world to sit up and take notice of an Indian company successfully buying Jaguar and Land Rover — two of the world’s most revered auto brands.

Are you proud to be an Indian? How often do you feel it? Why does the pride and patriotism get a larger-than-life display during an India-Pakistan cricket match? Why does the sudden realisation of being Indian occur to us only around our Independence Day and Republic Day celebrations? Is that wrong? No. However, what is more important is to make those rare occurrences less rare. This does not mean that we remain blind to the reality. The reality of India with her complex issues of poverty, malnutrition, lack of primary and secondary education, communalism, corruption, terrorism, and many others continues to haunt the world’s ’largest’ democracy.

Political representation of youth
in the Parliament

Dilip Shankar, Chennai
Just because an MP is young it does not qualify
him to be a great leader. Their educational
qualifications, social outlook, vision for the country
etc. do matter. Many of our young MPs are still
under the shadow of corrupt senior members and
are incapable of doing much on their own. We need
to bring about a change wherein there is a significant
representation of young people in the Parliament so that they have a
greater say in national issues.

Abheeshta Nath, Thiruvananthapuram
Unfortunately politics has been the last choice for any youth who is
restless to establish his / her niche. Though the just concluded Lok
Sabha election paved way for some young minds, whether it will
encourage more youth to come to the forefront still remains a question
mark. For they say that dynasty politics has made it almost impossible
for any ’common’ citizen to rise in politics. Politics has almost become
a school for getting corrupted. Does absolute power corrupt one
absolutely?

Neetha Thomas, Mumbai
I feel that youth are still not represented at its best in
politics but recent attempts have been really
commendable. Lately I have seen a complete reversal
of roles; they who should be accountable are instead
seeking accountability questioning their own policies
and delivery systems in a symbolic admission of
collective failure. I feel that we will achieve what most of us have been
dreaming of — a Practical & Efficient India!

Perhaps, the question that every youth today asks is whether the government gives the right priority and the right amount of importance and resources to what is urgent.

Remember Sanjukta Pangi, a sixteen-year-old girl from a small village of Karanjaguda, Orissa, who went to L’Aquila, Italy, to attend a Junior 8 (J-8) youth summit held in early July in parallel to the G-8 summit? While the world leaders had too much of discussion on global warming and climate change with very little concrete action plan, Sanjukta expressed what she and millions of others like her in India want — good education.

“Children in developed countries have time for playing and having fun, because they take their education for granted. But kids in developing countries, like India, have to struggle to go to school. I myself had to struggle a lot to go to school. If I hadn’t convinced my father to let me continue going to school I would not have been at the J-8,” she said. Sanjukta wants to go in for higher studies and eventually become a district collector. She also wants to work for a pollution-free world. Throughout her life she has had to battle stigma and deprivation.

Youth activism on
social networking sites

Mahima Shashank, Chennai
The youth of India have paved their way into
the global world through various networking
sites on the internet. This has its pros and cons.
The advantages are the ability to network
with long lost friends and relatives, joining together
for a noble cause (forming groups) etc. On the flip
side, they intrude on one’s privacy and expose too
much information which can be misused.
Can Sanjukta be empowered? Do political hierarchies get a sense of what this 16-year-old is talking about? She represents the voice of a section of India’s a billion-plus population. The recent appointment of Nandan Nilekani, one of the founders of Infosys, as the chairman of the Unique Identification Authority of India is just a case in point. Are we chasing a wrong dream? When the government has the political will to launch a project estimated to cost more than two billion dollars, the question that follows is, why is the government blind to more severe issues of our nation? Will this unique identity card, make a major difference to you, me and millions of teenagers like Sanjukta?

On young leadership

Neetha Thomas, Mumbai
More than half the population is under 25.
I would say that India’s growth largely
depends on them, with quality education
and right direction we are set to grow in
leaps and bounds with our present youth
as the future leaders of this country.
However, think of allocating a portion of that huge sum of money on basic education and educational infrastructure and you see the difference. Of course, why not use the brilliance of Nilekani, a man with high social conscience, to execute something like this.

Unfortunately, the biggest is not always the best. While every Indian is proud of being a part of the largest democracy, he or she is not getting the best what the democracy is capable of offering him or her. The lack of youth representation and fresh visionary approach at the highest-level of decision making is gradually eating into the credibility of our country. This gets amplified when you consider the fact that the youth in India constitute close to 40 per cent of the total population of the country.

What does freedom mean
to you in an independent India?

Tarushi Choudhary, Jaipur
For me a free India is where I’m allowed
to express views without any fear of
repression and right to free education upto
university level and be provided with
proper job opportunities.

Mahima Shashank, Chennai
To be free in Independent India is a feeling which brings
happiness, gratitude, self-faith, confidence and motivation
to move further ahead. It shows us the power of people to
bring change and reminds us of those sacrifices made by
our leaders, which is what gives us the inspiration to
develop the country to the highest standards possible.

Anuja Siraj, Thiruvananthapuram
I want to be a free woman. For me freedom and security
are synonymous as I dream of walking alone any street in
India without any fear.

So when Mitali Dave, a second year commerce student in Chennai, says there is not enough young blood in the political decision making process, she has every reason to be angry and agitated. “Give us a chance,” demands Mitali, who discusses various political and social issues with her peers. And according to her, the feeling is same with many of her friends. While it is important that youth get a much bigger representation at the political level, it is more important that the same youth become a part of a more vigilant public. “We constitute our nation, it does not constitute us. Independence is not our right to express but our right to be heard. Independence is not only smart politics, but being a part of a smarter public,” said Vaidehi Sinha, a college student from Patna. According to her independence of India from a common man’s point of view is not only the sense of belonging, but a sense of contribution and existence in every step that the nation takes.

“It is not what we feel, but what we make of it and most importantly, independence is not about rights, but our duties towards the nation,” sums up Vaidehi more aptly.

Be proud to be an Indian. Celebrate and sing Jai Ho! every time an Indian makes the nation proud in the global scene. But remember to do your part to make yourself and other proud as well.

Are you proud to be an Indian? Why?

Abheeshta Nath, Thiruvananthapuram I have always loved to be an Indian. If reborn I would choose to live and die in and for India. I am proud of its profound history and the legends like Mahatma Gandhi or Dr C.V. Raman. I am proud to see millons of people from diverse religions, languages and culture are living together as Indians. Mera Bharat Mahan.

Neetha Thomas, Mumbai Born an Indian, and proud to be one! The values that have been imparted to me have made me what I am. The diversity that India has, I haven’t seen anywhere else. Look at any part of this beautiful country, we have a mix of people with different cultures and yet all of us make India so unique.

Mahima Shashank, Chennai Yes I am proud to be an Indian because of India’s royal past, blooming present and promising future. Our country is a wonderful blend of culture and intellectual modernisation. A true sense of togetherness, passion, joy and inspiration binds Indians together, making our country even more special.
This site is best viewed in IE 5.0 and above.