[Amritesh .]

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Sunday, Mar 26, 2006

Our muddled generation

DINESH KUMAR

Somewhere along the line, young people have started to mistake bad manners for confidence

THERE IS a bright young person sitting across the table. The clothes and the looks are perfect. He/she could well be a model. Our job is to interview these young people for a management position in our company. My colleague asks them some questions about their background — engineering, arts or commerce — and the answers border on ignorance. So we ask, do you read newspapers? Evasive answer: sometimes. What is your opinion on freedom of the press? Oh, we should not give them absolute freedom. What do you want to do in life? Make a lot of money.

In the middle of the interview we notice that the young person is uncomfortable. The hand goes to the pocket, but stops. "It's OK," we say, "You can take your call." The young person smiles sheepishly. "It was on buzzer," the person says, as if that explains everything. We look at each other, how can we take this person in the company? And yet, most people whom we interview are clones, speaking the same things without any conviction in their voice. "I want to do something for the country or for the poor," they say, without having any idea as to what they would like to do for either the poor or for themselves.

Evasive and irresponsible

Reports say that 80 per cent of the people coming out of India's colleges are unemployable. As one who is in contact with the young generation, I would disagree only with the figure. Interacting with the youth, I can only say that a good 90 per cent of the youngsters are unemployable simply because they are evasive and irresponsible. Somewhere along the line, young people have started to mistake bad manners for confidence. They do not want to do anything but make a lot of money.

It is not that they are useless: most speak good English and are confident of themselves. They are aware of the latest ring tones, movies and jokes. But when one goes a little beyond, they stare at me with dull eyes. They want to earn a "lot of money," thanks to the media hype and salary surveys published regularly, but they do not have skills that will help them earn that kind of money.

Their degrees are suspect: ask them a few questions on their graduation subjects and most young people flounder quickly. As for extra reading, nobody reads anything of consequence.

But there are other questions also. Questions about ethics and behaviour, about what you are good at, about how you spend your spare time. And then, these confident young men and girls flock to me with confused looks, "What should I answer to these questions?"

It is no good telling them that it is their life and they should tell me about themselves, because they always want readymade answers, to say something that will help them get through. "If I practise it long enough, I will make it look true," they say. So overnight young people become avid readers, guitar players, star batsmen and even gardeners. I wonder if any interviewer is foolish enough to buy their half-baked stories.

Rolling stones

As India moves forward we have produced an unthinking generation whose sole objective is to live a good life without doing anything. It appears we are creating too many rolling stones, without a vision, without commitment or morals. Given a choice between saving their skin and doing something worthwhile, most young people respond that they would rather save themselves.

There is supposed to be some idealism when you are young; your ideas may not make sense but you are willing to stand up for a cause. These days the young do not have any passion towards any cause. Listening to the well-rehearsed answers of the generation, I understand that the new mantra is money. Anyone who talks of something more meaningful is outdated.

Has the generation truly awakened?

VIDYA VENKAT

I BELONG to a community of Indian youth that believes in steering clear of any form of socio-political participation primarily because there are better things to do in life — study, earn a degree, get a job, get married perhaps and while away spare time watching TV (not NDTV but MTV), hanging around coffee shops with friends or best, flirting. But sometimes this other voice within me grows so loud that it hinders the path of hedonistic pursuits.

The first time this voice emerged was when I was in Plus Two; all my friends were busy preparing for the Boards but I was deeply distracted by the Godhra carnage and wondered how in a democratic nation politicians could manipulate the underprivileged sections by injecting religious fanaticism. In school, being the magazine editor, I persuaded the staff to help organise an oratorical and essay writing contest, promising to feature the best speaker and writer in the school magazine that year.

Only two participants came forward for the oratorical contest on "Godhra carnage: who is behind it?" The teachers wanted me to lure more students to join it with the prospect of even winning certificates. On approaching some fellow friends and juniors, I received some really lazy responses such as I have maths homework, records submission, no time to prepare, etc. One junior crossed the limits of effrontery by asking me "How come you chose such a `boring topic'? Who wants to talk about Godhra carnage?"

In college too, among fellow students I could see this study-study-and-get-a-degree attitude. I took up a part-time reporting job with a local English magazine which showed more inclination towards celebrities, gossip, fashion and beauty. Human interest stories were rare and only published when `pages had to be filled up.' Luckily I got an opportunity to do some substantial research work for a documentary on "Village markets in Tamil Nadu" for Prasar Bharati and got to meet people from the farming/small scale-industrial community in Chengam, Tiruvannamalai during field-work.

Witnessing the plight of the poor farmers, who were terribly affected by scanty rain and consistent crop failures, further fuelled the fire within me. I wanted to see a better society. Our government, Constitution, judiciary will remain disabled so long as the people wielding them are reluctant to sacrifice their instinct for self-preservation.

Even the media, I realised, was largely exploiting the sufferings of people for `story material' and catering to the elite; what actually matters is `sensitisation' but the media largely `sensationalises.' Awareness can be created not through witty sound bytes or crisp headlines but only through careful documentation of events and persistent social activism.

Social activism

My inner longing to take to social activism and work for the underprivileged in society was further raised by a reading of Mahasweta Devi's writings. In her I found a perfect role model to emulate. To write about the suffering masses, to lobby for the rights of the deprived, all these became part of my dreams. But questions such as how will I earn sufficient money for my survival and how will I contribute to the family income dogged me alongside.

Also the youth today are subjected to such compelling social pressures as living up to the expectation of parents, meeting social standards of living and fulfilling personal aspirations in a competitive world that to devote one's 100 per cent to social causes becomes impossible. Treading the road less travelled has never been an easy choice to make and in a climate of uncertainty and lack of support most people are bound to suppress such a call (if there has been any).

I strongly feel this generation will not awaken, not unless the underprivileged masses themselves stoke a revolution to the proportions of a French Revolution. And in the recent Jehanabad prison attack by naxalites I could clearly see Bastille repeating itself. Because w`hen people refuse to wake up you have to pour hot water over their faces.

(The writer is a student at Madras Christian College

Amritesh

M.Tech (Indistrial & Management Engineering),

IIT Kanpur.

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"Society doesn't go down by the activities of the bad people,but the inactivities of good people" - Swami Vivekanand

Let us never miss our role;be a part of second freedom struggle

of India, Bharat Uday Mission, at http://www.bharatudaymission.com/

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[रजनीश मंगला]

अमरितेश जी
ये लेख अभी पूरा पढ़ा नहीं,
बाद में पढूंगा, लेकिन अच्छा
है। लेकिन इसमें शायद ये
नहीं बताया गया कि अगर ऐसा
है तो क्यों है, क्या कारण हो
सकते हैं इसके पीछे। अगर
युवा लोग कम गहराई से सोचते
हैं, सिर्फ़ डिगरी तथा पैसे
से मतलब रखते हैं तो क्यों।
क्या आपको लगता है कि ये
सिर्फ़ मीडिया के कारण है?
इसपर चर्चा होनी चाहिए।

दूसरी बात येः अच्छा होता
अगर आप इस लेख का लिंक देते
तथा साथ में अपने ख़्याल
देते।
http://www.hindu.com/op/2006/03/26/stories/2006032600441800.htm

लेख या ख़बर तो हम साईट पर भी
पढ़ सकते हैं लेकिन यहां
आपके ख़्याल महत्वपूर्ण
हैं न कि लेख। ये बात मैं
पहले भी लिख चुका हूं। आप
खुद इस लेख में दी गई
दुर्दशा की उदाहरण पेश कर
रहे हैं। हमें अपने विचार
पेश करने के लिए फ़ारवर्डड
ईमेल या बने बनाए लेखों का
सहारा लेना पड़ता है।

[amritesh]

Respested rajnish ji,
First of all I am extremely of my way of posting this mail like a
forwarded article and thanks a lot for your kind guidence. But as you
said that " आप खुद इस लेख में दी गई

दुर्दशा की उदाहरण पेश कर

रहे हैं। " may I know how.. and first you read the
completely article and then reply, I hope you will get the answer of
your this query ::"अगर युवा लोग कम

गहराई से सोचते हैं, सिर्फ़
डिगरी तथा पैसे

से मतलब रखते हैं तो क्यों। ".

As far as my views are concerned awakening of a generation itself
would take care of everythig. As mentioned above awakening of
"GENERATION" ;can you imagine how big this term is ? If our youth which
consists of over 55 % of population of India start giving their one
hour daily then we would have 55 crores hours of (thoughts + actions)
per day and it would take very few time to change the things. Well I
know that I am stating all nonrealistic things but just think even 1
percent of it become realistic then it would be agreat feet to
achieve, and people like Vidya Venkat has not to worry about devoting
their everything or compelling themselves not to do so under their
other genuine responsibilities.

Finally I appologise as I don't know how to write here in hindi and
ask you if you help me.