By Ankit Varma:
Young India, a rhetoric used quite too often in the past decade but I fear that a dismal tranche of us even have an understanding of such sense of responsibility and expectations the country has from us. I have been part of the young work force vested with the responsibility of changing the fortune of the country for over a year now. And have I made the country better place to live, have I given a hope to any of my country men? The answer is a disappointing ‘No’. I haven’t done any of that. Apart from paying a modest income tax I haven’t made any effort at all to improve the living conditions of people living in dire poverty, or reduced communal tensions in any neighbourhood. I have failed my country.
Being a teenager in India in the late 1990s and early 2000s was  very exciting. Markets had just opened up, industries and knowledge sector was booming. Hundreds and millions of possibilities had just opened up. Everyone was talking about India, a country whose children will witness the greatest journey of a country from the third world country to a superpower, a force to reckon with. Youth of the country was often projected as the magical flower that would blossom one night and the following morning India and its citizens will have not have anything to worry about .
That did not happen. We are a brilliant country with a disastrous governance. I have very limited knowledge of good models of governance. But for me fundamentals of any form of governance is honesty and selflessness. But what we have here is a corruption at multiple levels. Why only the politicians, a lot people who clear sacrosanct exams like the much hyped IAS often find there tenures marred by corruption charges. Every year thousands of young aspirants appear for the coveted exams like the IAS and IPS, a talented lot makes through. They get into the administration and they end up making the world worse with their compromised sense of integrity. A point I fail to understand is the use of such academic brilliance if you cannot promise something as basic as being honest.
Rahul Gandhi, the yesteryears youth icon, was the one we should have modelled ourselves on. But he also happens to be youngest and arguably the greatest failure of recent times. I believe that Rahul Gandhi’s biggest failure is not his election losses, but his failure to inspire. Akhilesh Yadav came as a refreshing entry, a highly educated young leader who came as a glimmer of hope in the politically infamous turf of UP. This hope was short lived. By inducting people like Raja Bhaiya he soon made his intentions clear. ‘Do not have any hopes from me; I’m no agent of change’.
A major challenge the youth of country is facing today is the absence of a young leader. Youth today cannot connect with seasoned politicians say for example LK Advani. The primary reason for popularity of Narendra Modi is the fact that he is youthful in his ways. Whether it’s his aggressive use of technology and social media or his action based politics (contrary to Rahul’s gesture based politics).
The youth of the country has immense potential but is directionless and more importantly, without a leader. We need a 21st century leader capable of rising above religion and caste based politics and guide the young to the India of our dreams, the one we all had set out for building. I need a leader to inspire me and can promise my country a future we all dream of.