My article on aspirations of the Indian youth was published in The Pioneer.
You can read a version of the article here
You can read a version of the article here
The youth of India are not a monolithic group and therefore
their aspirations vary. While there is section of hi-tech affluent youths who
want to begin their start-ups, there are also rural-uneducated-Dalit-female
youths who are fighting for bare minimum. If the country boasts of a
magnificent plan for 25 IITs, it should not lack in action plan for 15,000
ITIs. Everyone talks about young Indian engineers’ feat in NASA, Silicon
Valley, but no one talks about youth from the marginalised section. We cannot
overlook Eklavyas for the shining Arjunas
What do the youth in India want? This question gets echoed
over and over again from power corridors to creative wormholes. The answers are
multiple, amorphous and indefinite because our understanding of the youth as a
category is limiting our vision and leaving us with a flawed picture. In a
country like India, whose defining feature is its diversity, the youth too are
equally diverse and dynamic. To be in a position to evaluate or assess what
they want, we must first get the complete view of what youth are as a category.
India’s youth — the right picture
The National Youth Policy 2014 defines the youth as those
between the age group of 15 to 29, which comes to around 26 per cent of the
population or 32 crore. However, the youth are not a unilinear, monolithic set;
it is a complex category. Within this broad unit of 32 crore are many
sub-groups and inequalities: rural-urban, class-caste, rich-poor, male-female,
etc. Existence of diverse groups means diverse aspirations which defy
generalisations and rebel against universal statements of purpose. Take the
example of the popular “5-4-3-2-1 formula” which is assumed to be the panacea
for the youth. Five digit salary, four-wheeler vehicle, three-BHK flat, two
children and one beautiful wife — this, however, is an “urban middle
class-male” formula which is forced as a universal motto.
I
t is the aspirations that drive the youth to constantly push, and sometimes, break the boundaries. A few decades ago, education and employment were the two most vital concerns of the youth. However, over a period of time, this has changed and now the youth also have aspirations outside the ambit of education and employment. The needs of the youth vary depending on age, finance and career goals. For some, buying a school bag could be a key concern while for others making it to the highest cut-off could be a priority.
t is the aspirations that drive the youth to constantly push, and sometimes, break the boundaries. A few decades ago, education and employment were the two most vital concerns of the youth. However, over a period of time, this has changed and now the youth also have aspirations outside the ambit of education and employment. The needs of the youth vary depending on age, finance and career goals. For some, buying a school bag could be a key concern while for others making it to the highest cut-off could be a priority.
Pressing problems may appear in the form of zero
accessibility to technology especially in rural areas and non-availability of
jobs in urban, semi-urban and rural areas. For those wanting to become entrepreneurs,
finding initial capital investment could be the problem. In the larger canvas,
issues of women safety and sanitation are also critical factors. Therefore, the
needs and expectations of the youth have to be categorised and understood at
different levels.
Take two sub-groups — one of the youth who have passed out
from IITs and want to begin start-ups. The Government has tried to create an
ecosystem for this group and many organisations are currently working in that
direction. Now, take another sub-group of rural-uneducated-Dalit-female youth.
If the former sub-group has lakhs of youth, crores of youth also belong to the
latter sub-group. What do the female youth wantIJ She does not want a start-up.
She just wants respect and dignified life in her own family and society. We
need to think about her too. Today, she does not fall in our development net
because she is not educated and cannot open account at block level. Prime
Minister Narendra Modi has been pragmatic in his understanding of the youth. In
his words: “It is important how we view the youth of our nation. To simply
consider them new age voters is a big mistake. They are the new age power.” The
Government has taken steps to democratise the schemes for the youth by
targeting different social sections through different schemes like Stand Up,
Start Up, Skill India, etc.
Mainstreaming the marginalised
In 1970s, the protagonists of popular Indian movies were the
youth from middle class — the popular angry young men typified by characters
like Vijay played by Amitabh Bachchan. But today, the angry young men no longer
come from the urban middle class but from the marginalised communities like
Dalits and Tribals. Movies like Masaan, Sairat and Kabali are just a few
examples. In this era of post-BSP and post-Mayawati politics, the youth from
the marginalised sections of the society are angry and agitated. He wants his
troubles to end now. He does not agree with the existing development model as
it puts him at a disadvantage. When and how his dissent will turn into anarchy
is hard to predict.
The successive Governments have floated several schemes and
programmes for the youth but each with lacunae in vision, direction, execution
and structure. To begin with, we don't know the purpose of our youth-oriented
schemes. Take the example of volunteer schemes of Nehru Yuva Kendra Sangthan
(NYKS). There are over 8,000 paid volunteers in more than 4,000 blocks but they
are not properly trained and deputed for any work. We need to impart skills,
mentoring and training. More and more schemes related to youth volunteerism
should be started with focus on skilling, mentoring and training. Those schemes
should be effectively implemented and promoted at every level in a designed
manner.
The country has in place a powerful plan for 25 IITs but
what it lacks is an action plan for 15,000 ITIs. In a way, our IITs have failed
our ITIs. Everyone talks about young Indian engineers in NASA, Silicon Valley
and Bengaluru but no one talks about the youth from the marginalised sections,
especially Dalit and tribal communities. We cannot overlook Eklavya for the
shining Arjuna. In this country, there are several Eklavyas aspiring for new
avenues. While there is no doubt that several youth today want to set up their
own company, it is also a fact that there are lakhs of youths who are simply
searching for the job of a security guard. We need to think and plan for them
too. We can no longer afford to leave Eklavya out of our development net as
this time around he will not sacrifice his thumb but wiggle it in our face and
choose his own way.
Role of democracy
Democracy deals with liberty and equality — socio-economic
and political. It is the duty of the youth to take the project of democracy
forward in the country where political representation of every youth has been
almost ensured. Now, what we have to achieve is socio-economic democracy and
equality which can be ensured only through inclusive and equitable development.
The only purpose of development should be to improve quality and ensure dignity
of life.
Youth who feel that they are not getting their share in this
project of democracy and development are registering their dissent. Those who
are at the margins of the society, political system or economy are vulnerable
and there is a high probability of them taking a dissenting stand. The Indian
State must accept this and try to accommodate them in the mainstream. A good
democracy should be accommodative enough to accept and respect dissent. It
should have the tendency to co-opt dissenters. Simplest definition of justice
is to treat equal equally and unequal unequally. Those left behind should be
taken along.
This blog is really helpful to deliver updated affairs over internet which is really appraisable. Safelite Auto Window Repair
ReplyDeleteThanks for share your blog here . ottawa handyman
ReplyDelete