The burden of being young

The Class of 2005 at JNU

In a country of many opportunities, where the demographic dividend is waiting to be reaped, it is easy to give in, the task of not giving in to the temptation of passing on the burden is like expecting a dog to chase a squirrel or a cat not licking a bowl of cream clean or a writer not writing on a blank piece of paper!;D

Everyday, I come across atleast one neta, policymaker, activist or corporate honcho talking about "the young people taking it up". In fact "young" permeates our consciousness so much that we have full segments on television devoted to it, Radio Stations claiming "yeh aaj ke zamane ka radio station hai" (aaj mein ho toh aaj ke hi radio station hoge na, duh!), in fact a whole new kind of cinema devoted to it (Yash Raj Films' Y-Films studio being a case in point). Even Brinda Karat, the CPI (M) firebrand gave in to the temptation and said the golden words at the recently concluded India Today Conclave.

Well, its heartening some would say. Its logical, others would argue. Ah, but if truth be told, it is merely burdensome!

To be hoisted as the only ones capable of bringing about change, or to be pushed into a corner - "Oh but you young people have to do something about it" is well really no different from being told "you will become an engineer when you grow up" for that too is about social expectations, isn't it?

Then again, what is young? who is the youth?

Anna Hazare recently came up with a very interesting take on this - "being young is not a function of age but of whats in your heart". So that's that. Don't thrust/hoist onto others your causes/concerns/whims/aspirations in the garb of them being young. You are not over the hill till you yourself choose to declare you are. Lets not pass on legacies please, not just yet - whether it is to someone like Siddhartha Mallaya (yup, I have been reading the newspaper too!) who himself admitted he isn't experienced enough to add value to a CEO role at the age of 24, or the burgeoning undefined mass of the next generation.

This isn't about not wanting to step up, mind you, it is simply asking for our place under the sun, to pick our own battles to fight. Step up I will but that doesn't mean the veterans should stop!

-Roar!