India does sadly nothing for its youth

Young India - that’s between age groups 15-25 - needs direction, where cultural activities are concerned. Come summer, the usual camps take place and parents want kids off their backs or genuinely wish to enhance and upgrade their wards’ cultural quotient but that’s possible in big-city India.

What of non-metro India? Where does someone, who wishes to spend quality time away from Facebook, TV, bars and cricket dens, go and spend time? Where is a neutral meeting place, the adda? Sweden went through this is the 60s. A young nation, a booming economy, made for many social ills. Parents and policy makers got concerned and felt a dire need for a common space, where a child could paint, play carrom and meet other people of the same age group or interests.

Due to excessive industrialisation, countries like Sweden and Japan, also had concomitant ills: loneliness, rising boredom and resultant alcoholism and high suicide rate. India is poised for a giant leap forward. There is no other direction a young nation can go. 500 million youth in the productive age group can do wonders for the country, provided the country can do something to mould their character, their energies and their sense of direction.

An average youth today is busy with survival, if not exams. That’s all. From school to college to competitive exams. Their eyes have dark shadows, their faces look lost, tired and worried. Their knowledge is also limited to books.

Only a miniscule percentage have deep pockets due to affluent parents and their future is secure. They ride big cars, make bigger news by careless accidents and sit and while away precious time. Their parents have no time for them, either. These young people are actually worse off because everything comes to them easily and they are often dropouts from college, if not outright drug addicts.

But for the rest of India, survival is the main issue. In this scenario, how can youth energy be channelised? Ten years ago, we thought of setting up India’s largest inter-cultural learning organisation, where youth energy could be organised and channelised. These were our main concerns and we made a huge dent in major small towns in India - the Ahmedabads, the Jaipurs and Punes. Yes, then these were small towns, not today.

We saw abundant energy and sense of purpose in our school children. Our youth was motivated and raring to go. In Pune, I met Akash Dhekane, who then at 15, wanted to do political work. No one wishes to do that normally.

In Ahmedabad, the standards of English were dismal, so kids were sent to Italy or Norway and learnt Italian or Norwegian. Today, the same Shahs are gainfully employed in prestigious Scandinavian shipping companies operating out of Bombay. Language is also culture. Anything that’s useful and enhances our abilities and sensibilities, is culture.

The point is channelising youth energy. What does Indian society offer to youngistan? Nothing. Fashion shows, TV staged dance competitions and assorted tamasha culture does not interest or engage many. It may provide employment to some but hardly of any consequence.

Then, are their science groups or social groups that can go, say help society in practical ways? Go fill forms for the illiterate in a hospital as volunteers? Or teach maids and servants at home? Or help old people do small chores like bank work in neighbourhood. Are we service-minded anymore? Are our youth sufficiently cause-minded? Do their parents permit them to do anything out of the ordinary?

Which is why the arts are great levellers which bind and bring people closer. Sampada Pillai moved from Goa to Bangalore two years ago. Her husband was working in some IT company. What does she do in a new, alien city, living in a huge apartment complex? Since she was trained in Kathak, she started teaching kids some Kathak in the complex. Today, she trains over 200 kids and keeps them meaningfully busy. Parents are happy, kids are happy and she earns something without having to commute.

Same is the case in many other cities of India. Any art form - music, dance, painting, drama - first of all focusses the mind and energy. Then, it gives a sense of direction, a meaning to life. And leads to developing sensibilities for team work. (Us Indians are soloists. We can’t function in teams, often).

Arts can also lead to possible name and fame. Most importantly, it can never be taken away from you. Wherever you settle - Manipur or Madagascar; Boston or Bolivia - if you have learnt violin or tabla, Kathak or Bollywood, you can teach and become an important member of that place or community. It’s a wonderful door-opener and outreach programme. So many get to know you if you sing in a choir or are part of a theatrical production.

Our youth is alert, bright and raring to go. But where can they go? Where can a young person, who does not wish to drink or smoke away his or her time, meet? Where can such talents do something constructive? Where can their parents think they are safe? Where can they do something that gives vent to their talents or even anger? Where can they meet others of the same age and background? Where can they flower into wholesome beings?

Create community centres like Sweden did a long time ago. We do have some of these in some privileged metros like Delhi but often these are taken over by neighbourhood gangs (read, political workers! Or busybodies above 70 who have nothing better to do then to control all). Worse, these community centres, like in Lakshmi Nagar or Rajendra Nagar are let out for weddings.

Neutral cultural centres can help the young and old connect. Many old people today have no company nowadays as their children are busy earning and grandkids are busy cramming for exams. An old man, who wishes to bond with young, can go play tennis there or a game of cards (so long its not gambling!).

A young talent can practice music or paint or meet fellow youth. This leads to positive energies in the society and when a society bonds, a nation comes together.

The best gift Modi government can give to the country is if they do something for the youth of India. Not mere tokenism but a real response in real time. Create an environment that will have a lasting impact on the future of India and Indians.

Create cultural centres that nurture talents and creates artists and good human beings. Create venues of showing potential and also learning from each other and self help.

Once we have these 500 million force ready in every which way – educated, cultured, motivated – no one can beat India. Can they? Write in your response.