By : Pradeep Verma
College: University of Delhi(PGDAV)
“If there is one place on the face of earth where all the dreams of living men have found a home from the very earliest days when the men began the dream of existence it is India” Romaine Rolland
INDIA is a curious meeting place of diverse religion races manners and customs. India having a traceable history up to Indus valley civilization has been since influenced by nature and foreign invasions and over a period of time India has developed to be a nation with unity and diversity. India when in 1947 got independence from suppressing British raj , the world thought that a nation with such a vast diversity would never be able survive and will cripple down to a failed economy. We not only proved the world wrong but we are marching forward and marching so strong that we are a contender to become a superpower and the world knows it. India is the 3rd largest economy after the U.S and china and by 2020 will become the youngest country with an average age of 29 years, 64% of Indian population will be in the working class age group. This demographic potential offers India and its economy an unprecedented edge.
India is day by day becoming young and is having world’s largest 0-6 age group which will count to India’s youth making it world’s youngest nation in near future. As every homosepiean have problems, dreams and desires this young India too has his own desires and dreams, and chetan bhagat in his book “what young India wants” has somehow correctly said that today’s youth wants a good life, good job and romance “meri naukri,meri chokri” . Today’s youth first want to fulfill their own needs and then only they are willing to support certain causes, as an age old saying goes “nothing is enjoyable with an empty stomach”. With change in the society and the new economic policies of liberalization, globalization, privatization, Indian way of living is undergoing a rapid change, every individual wants his own space in the society, social status, and a life of luxury. Every third individual in urban India is youth, and is seeking better life opportunities. A closer examination of Indian youth suggests their greater political participation, engagement at policy level and urgent attention to improve quality of life. This young India is busy earning luxuries of life knows no barrier of caste religion gender race and shares unity of unique kind. This young India wants a government which can deliver, with less committees and more work and a strong leader to represent India on global frontiers, no matter if the prices are high but every ones pocket must allow to purchase whatever commodity they want to purchase. This young India don’t want a jobless growth but what it wants is a growth in GDP with growth in employment opportunities, this young India is aware of welfare economics the meaning of equality in economy and its right provided by the constitution. They feel hurt when the national pride is hurt by any non state members intrusion, and feel proud on nations achievement whether be successful test of nuclear energy in Pokharan or indigenous INS warships this young India is very much involved in country’s affair. This young India relates its own pride to the pride of nation every individual now thinks of the impact of his activity on the nation’s growth and pride thus making it manifold times stronger. This generation loves cars gadgets and is a more aware and involved generation thanks to the better side of mass media and social networking.
Youth has always brought change in the society and if the society is not changing than it’s a change in itself. amid all the changes in the society, westernization, globalization and modernization this young India has an ongoing continuity in its culture. Indian culture guided by the factors of ‘dharma karma and jati’ has been successfully preserved as the youth being the factors of change and the elders being the factors of continuity, so it’s not surprising to see someone wearing a sacred thread ( janeu) and a tie together using an I pad and watching his kundli over it, working with an international company and doing Surya namaskaar (offering prayers to lord Surya). Thus what it suggests is that the change is in the culture not of the culture. This young India thus has very belief in the culture, religion but with a more scientific view not believing in superstitions and false religious practices.
This youth has a great production potential and can lead the India to the new frontiers of success and economic growth, towards an era where the world will walk again in the shadow of India guided by its principles as said by max Muller west has a lot to learn from India.
But it is irony that in a country like India where a girl who can top world’s most difficult examination (Indian Administrative Services) is also writing a bank clerk examination simultaneously, showing the high level of job insecurity in Indian youth. Though on a verge of becoming world’s youngest nation India’s growth rate is not up to the expected levels, even though the prolonged and continuous planning by government we have not yet been a developed nation despite all the ability and resources. According to ‘state of urban youth in India, 2012’ Employment, Livelihood, Skills, a report published by IRIS Knowledge Foundation collaboration with UN HABITAT about the state of urban youth in India reported that urban space have not necessarily aided the quality of life enjoyed by Indian youth. One fifth of the Indian urban population lives on less than a dollar a day. The income level in the cities may appear to be higher but the cost of living is also increasing constantly resulting in shrinking savings, inadequate access to healthcare and lack of quality education. Maternal mortality remains the top cause for the death of young women in India. Half of the urban women are anemic pointing to inadequate food and nutrition. Largest share of youth with formal skills was found in Kerala, followed by Maharashtra, Tamil Nadu, Himachal Pradesh and Gujarat. The unequal access to opportunity and lack of emphasis on education remains a persistent problem. An urban area has 93% more chances of acquiring training than in rural India. They acquire much needed exposure to the world, but a major problem in the development of India as a super power is that it’s not able to provide employment opportunities to its much talented youth and thus they have to look west for employment. Youngsters who do not get employment in India are the top level scientists in NASA, united kingdom’s economy stands just on the money of India based businessmen in united kingdom. A person having most powerful weapon in his hand cannot save himself from the enemy if he does not know how to use the weapon same is the situation with India as she is unable to efficiently utilize its human resource, due to lack of infrastructure low economic growth rate inappropriate technology inappropriate education policy and inadequate employment planning and lack of entrepreneurship.
Government of India has realized the potential of its youth and has been emphasizing more towards the better quality of education as education is the panacea, providing skill development and increasing the participation of technical education in today’s education system of India to make the Indian youth competent at world level. Indian youth is full of desires and ambitions is highly productive and will make India a superpower provided if government is able to sufficiently utilize their potential by providing them better opportunity job security, infrastructure, better environment to work, motivation and sense of pride.
As one great historian said that “what we have started in west we will have to settle it in India or else the whole world will get destroyed” and this day is not far when India will climb the ladder to the top guided by its powerful and intelligent youngsters.
JAI HIND, JAI BHARAT…….