The Millennials of India: Are they a Fear or a Cheer?
I’m 29 and I’m a millennial. I believe I belong to the “Youth” group. But am I proud of it?
Is the youth of today really changing the world? Call me cynical, pessimist or dark. But the thoughts I’m gonna share here are for real. The youth of India, which is the future face of our nation, is supposed to be more open, flexible, and innovative in their thought process; is not as we listen to.
There is another side of this DYNAMIC YOUTH too.
Being in the group of young, powerful, ready-to-change-the-world groups I’ve met, talked to, and seen people, who are nowhere to make the world a better place. Rather, if this part of the group won’t grow or be taught; we might see another kind of future.
A few days ago I was visiting the United Nations website to read about International Youth Day. For the year 2021, they have the theme of #YouthLead, showcasing how the young generation around the globe is coming forward to save our world from the mishaps around us. Be it Malala Yousafzai, Greta Thunberg, Jaylen Arnold, or Sophie Cruz; who are becoming the voice to empower education, save the planet, bring racial equality, diversity, and whatnot.
But is it where all the youth power of India progressing?
Sadly, no!
If you follow the news channels in India, you know that we have millions of blind followers of different political parties (I won’t take names, as you know we are a country very open about “Freedom of Speech”). The rising rates of BHAKT are mainly due to the rising unemployment rate of 8.32% and with a new workforce of 433.86 million. And, since our so-called FUTURE LEADERS OF INDIA don’t have any vision or mission to follow, they are quite happy following the leaders who are busy changing the names of cities and including mythological books in the undergraduate program and saffronizing our education system as well.
Well, this is one glimpse of the big picture that we are quite aware of. There is something more that is cooking among our youth.
We get really pissed when we listen to Mr. Trump talking about white supremacy, Fair & Lovely(now Glow & Lovely) inculcating racism, and Myntra accidentally showing vagina in their logo, but do you know that our youth, (boys and girls) also like to accompany beautiful, fit, petite bodies & fair faces?
Talk about society becoming boy positive. What a joke!
This is not something coming from my skeptical or negative mindset. I have known organizations, and accompanied colleagues (younger than me), who were very pretty shameless about this. The male colleagues wanted to see more pleasant faces with nice hair in offices, they had no hesitation while body shaming their women counterparts, the creative team wanted to shoot only beautiful faces, the higher authority (which was a woman) wanted only “eye candy” in her event.
One of the people in higher authority was talking about hiring men only, as women have kids, in-laws, or husband issues.
Many young men in the IT sector believe that it is easier for women if they look good. No matter how qualified she is, how much experience she holds. Even many women believe that too, that’s why they focus more on decorating their eyes rather than their minds. And, if another part of women doesn’t believe in it and does not decorate their outfits, then they are called Tomboy, Masculine, Manly woman, jhalli, unsophisticated, and much more. Some girls give in and become like that owing to peer pressure, and some get lost in the crowd.
No. I’m not old, these are real stories from the years 2020 and 2021.
You might be furious reading it or getting mad at me for talking so rudely about the youth of India. But that is the truth.
I’m not saying this is it, it is how we are. No, definitely not.
Among the 464 million youth of India, we also have Udit Singhal(18), Haimanti Sen (23), Parikul Bharadwaj (13), Malhar Kalambe (21), and more like them, who are setting the examples and taking India to a better direction. But the problem is, they are less heard of and less followed.
Being a youth myself (though I’ve been called aunty because I talk like this, I’m a bit fat and married) I want to send a message to my fellows…
Just because you listen to rock music, you know the flavors of smokes, you make graffiti, you listen to Tanmay Bhatt, cool with consuming the endless amount of alcohol (any time of day), you wear tore cloth, you are a fan of MCU, DC, TVF, or other movie franchises and you fall under 18–29 age group; that doesn’t make you BADASS YOUTH.
The best thing about us is that we are fearless, shameless, we think less about consequences and more about actions, we have a voice and we have the power to spread that voice. We are capable of choosing our path. We are the future of India.
We found this nation, which wasn’t that cool place to live in, but this is our chance to make it how we wanna make it. After us, the millennials, there is generation Z, which could help us to make the awesome country we wanted to live in.
But, for that, we need to set an example. We have to be a generation, which is cool enough to understand homosexuality and bold enough to talk about it, and smart enough to bring awareness and harmony among the homophobic and LGBTQ communities.
Homosexuality is one example, we have racism, casteism, religious discrimination, fascism, sexism, and more that are cultivating in our society.
We have the power to change it. Perhaps to end it.
The question is, will we take a step or will we smoke that thought and go back to binge-watching the show?
