N.B. The following is a topical essay, the subject of which concerns the Indian youth, the young political leaders and the influence that these young leaders have over young voters with regard to enticing them to cast votes and eventually bring about a change in the world we live in (written a few months back with reference to the latest Lok Sabha elections).
The government of a country plays the most important role in shaping the character of a nation. In a democracy it’s the people who elect their representatives to form the government. For ages India has witnessed the oligopoly of a select few politicians who claim to be the guardians of the largest democracy in the world; and the results have invariably been less than satisfactory. Of course there have been significant reforms and developments in various sectors, but they appear grand only in isolation.
‘Politics’ in India is synonymous to corruption, crime and dishonesty, at least in the minds of the common youth. And to a great extent this perception is justified. What does one expect from the system where people with past and current criminal records are allowed to contest elections, and are even elected! This has created a disregard in the minds of the youth towards their most important right – the right to vote! To vote and elect one’s representatives is the essence of a democracy. Thus the concept of ‘enticing’ young voters must be extricated from our thought process. If one has to be enticed to vote, it is time that the country as a whole reflects upon its existence as a democracy. Whether young or not, urban or rural, it’s the basic responsibility of the citizens of a democracy to VOTE. A person who abstains from voting has no business to question the system or detect flaws in its functioning. Mahatma Gandhi gave us a message many years ago, ‘You must be the change you wish to see in the world’, and change we must be. As members of the largest democracy in the world we must safeguard our country by preparing and electing suitable representatives to administer the nation and lead us all onto the path of overall development in an honest manner.
Indian politics has become more of a business than a service for most politicians. The sudden ‘hype’ surrounding young political leaders is not really so sudden if one carefully traces the roots of this drive. The search and awareness of young politicians is a very sensitively executed movement by various forms of media in the country.
Today we can say that India is waking up to the need for a change. After all, ‘the first step towards creating a better life is to develop the ability to envision it’. And most of this awakening is happening among the Indian youth. As regards demography, India is a young country with majority of its population being under 30 years of age. Thus we see a shift in the mass opinion. The forthcoming Assembly elections will have the largest number of first time voters. A realization has dawned upon the youth that change is what we need today. A change in the system, a change in the nation’s outlook and finally a change in leadership. The nation is convinced that any change, will certainly be a change for the better. It is not change for good that one yearns for at this point, it is change for the better.
~
~
