Thursday, February 22, 2007

Has the younger generation in India achieved too much too fast?

A reader from Toronto,Canada sent me this question. He had left India at the age of three and has not visited India since 1987. Everything he sees on the news, in video and on the internet suggest that India is completely different from what he remembers. He has sent me many interesting questions of which this the one I wanted to chew on first. I can think of several possible answers:

No, its achievements have not even begun to match its potential

No, the majority of Indian youth is struggling

Yes, but its all well-deserved

Yes, the younger generation has indeed achieved too much too fast and it is creating problems


What do you think?Ananya


3 comments:

Anonymous said...

Hmmm I would agree with the second answer,sadly!!!

The young generation is not living upto its potential and expectations

Why? Why? Why?

I have no clue. But, I personally feel may be due to many resaons which form cream of excuses.

But, I would be instrested in knowing what can we do for the same? How can we together solve this?

Any suggestions??? Comments???

Kaisar Ahmad said...

I say "..No, its achievements have not even begun to match its potential.."

That's taking the "glass is half full" approach.

Those who believe that the glass is half empty would say "..No, the majority of Indian youth is struggling.."

These are exciting times for Indian youth. The world has been brought to their doorstep by the media and they can finally compare and choose from real alternatives.

When we talk about "the majority" we have to remember though that the majority live outside of the urban areas. It is only when the same opportunities begin to reach rural youth that the young generation of India will start on the road to achieving its full potential.

Anonymous said...

My only concern from talking with a few Indian youth who live there is that they seem to be obsessed with their misconceptions of Indian culture in relation to the West.

I guess Western ideas and perceived lifestyles appear to be "shiny and new" and the Indian traditions seem "stale and old". I find it ironic that as people in the West increasingly embrace the older traditions of the East, those over there seem to want to indulge themselves more in Western stereotypes.

Of course I am simplifying the argument but basically there are good and bad points to all lifestyles and I hope that as the Indian youth matures, they will realize that it is possible to have the best of both worlds.