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Our youth lack a nurturing environment
K. ANANTH
Sowmya Krishnamurthy has expressed serious concern about the survival of our tradition in the article “Changing face of Indian future” (Open Page, March 2). The 20-year-old author has in fact lamented the attitude of young Indians. As a college teacher, I interact with young people everyday. Let me share a few instances that warned me against stereotyping the young.
This happened in the college bus. When the driver switched on the audio system, a steamy number from a 1980s blockbuster filled the air. Even before the faculty members could react, ‘the students from the back benches’ cried foul and made the driver change the track.
And this happened during one of the cultural festivals that students love to attend for unbridled fun. When the special guest, a Kollywood director (better known for his screenplays and double entendre) thought it fit to describe a first-night sequence in some detail, we could sense the uneasiness among the students. We heard comments like ‘unnecessary’ and ‘inappropriate.’
In fact, my students surprise me all the time, especially when they are given a responsibility like organising a tour or an event. They show their mettle with a lot of maturity.
And also let us not forget the way ‘youngistan’ is taking to the remix version of our tradition a la Gandhigiri. And the way our former president A.P.J. Abdul Kalam strikes a chord among young Indians. They have enthusiastically bought into his Vision 2020. All these go to show that the heart of our young population is in the right place and we need to be careful while passing value judgments about them.
I feel we should not judge them by the outward behaviour of a small minority and their accessories.
Leadership vacuum
To me our Indian tradition stands for a set of eternal values. These are universal. And they are to be found in every soul on this planet, not in some ancient texts. Our young ones are endowed with an abundant capacity to appreciate the same.
But unfortunately we have failed to provide them a nurturing environment and inspiring role models. Parents, teachers and leaders prove inadequate. In fact, there is a leadership vacuum. Our leaders fail to tap the innate goodness of people. Instead, they appeal to the lowest common denominator.
I believe that the Indian youth hold our tradition in great esteem. My belief was strengthened while teaching the subject ‘Indian ethics and values’ for my MBA students. But I could understand their dilemma when we discussed the Manjunath Shanmugam case. (Manjunath Shanmugam, an IIM graduate, was murdered for exposing adulteration at one of the IOC outlets). My students empathised with him and admired his courage. They wished to be as honest as he was. They agreed that corruption was a serious problem, but they had no answers and would not risk their lives like Manjunath.
In this scenario, we cannot blame young people for losing heart. The youth dream of a future sans poverty and corruption. But all that they see is the good going down without a fight. Their dreams die young. They give up their idealism early in life and become pragmatic — worse still expedient. And the nation becomes the ultimate loser.
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