My beloved country,
The first thing this pandemic has taken away from us is our right to love and laugh. Every moment is a sense of impending doom. Harrowing images of people desperately gasping for air has filled not only our timelines but our hearts as well.
We love to crawl. We love to crawl in front of our leaders, in front of the powerful, in front of the privileged. And what makes it worse is the lack of realisation that we are crawling. Believe me, right now we are all crawling. We are begging for what actually, is ours.
We are being forced to be grateful for the things that we deserve. Good health, good food and good medicine.
The youth of this country will have to face the wrath of this crisis for years to come. They are already cleaning the mess the older generations have made. Even before they reach the age of 18, they are forced to recognise the dangers of phenomena like Climate Change just because the older generations failed to generate enough awareness and take actions on these issues. They are asked to cut their already minimal wants.
They are often told that the responsibility to save this planet ‘lies in their hands.’ They will have to leave a healthy planet for future generations. But along with it, they are not appreciated for the efforts they put into things. With the cut-throat competition, which by the way has been created out of panic, they try to find some time to do what they actually love. And what do they get in return? A scornful remark? A smirk for their ‘laughable attempt’? The youth of this country was already reeling under pressure before this pandemic hit the world.
Look around you today. Is it not the same youth that is running from pillar to post? Is it not the same youth that is trying to fix the big goof-up the government has made? A government that has no youth leader? The same youth has taken upon itself, the responsibility to find the missing link.
They are carrying the burden of the pandemic on their shoulders at the cost of their mental and physical well-being. They are waiting with their ukuleles and notebooks and paintbrushes and mobile phones. Hoping to defeat not only the virus but the despair and grief that has followed it.
Look around you India, the youth of your country has once again come to your rescue.
But make no mistake. I am not writing this to paint a rosy picture of ‘resilience’ and ‘compassion’. I am writing this in utter hatred and anger for the ones who make the decisions for us. Do not try to find something ‘positive’ in this. A leading pharma manufacturer of the world is not even able to provide the oxygen to breathe for its dying population. What can be worse?
You know what? I will tell you what will be worse. After the second wave, the youth of this country will be made to realise that the onus of ‘resurrecting’ this nation is on them. But at the same time, they will not be provided with the resources to do so. They will not be given jobs. They will not be given remedies. They will not even be given hope. They will be forced to feel bad about everyone except themselves.
The economic strain and the resultant job losses and unemployment will scar the lives of the young adults of this country. And out of habit, they will keep on fighting for what they actually deserve. Even if by just sitting inside the four walls of their humble homes.
The elections will keep happening. Governments will be elected. The opposition will be selected. But will the country keep on going like this? The youth of this country will keep on rescuing the Ostriches who will keep burying their heads in the sand. But in that process, I just hope, they remember to not become the Ostriches themselves.