2011 marked a watershed year in terms of the global outpouring of youth aspirations and expectations. While a plethora of revolts swept across much of the the autocratic regimes in Northern Africa, and the still incendiary state of Syria, a number of advocates demanding more from the youth in shaping the events of the 21st century came to the forefront. These were people with a vision, demanding accountability from the governments yet proposing bulwarks against which the young demographic could contribute to improving the socio-economic conditions of the world. The fact that we demand a lot in return for no commitment is a potent argument, especially considering that today's societal structure is more open and fragile than ever before. The need of the hour is strategic rebuilding and prioritizing the aims for this generation and the future ones.
One constant in the ever evolving fate of human civilization is the timely emergence of the new guard to replace the old one. This cycle of leadership keeps us from becoming stagnant in the transient moment that we are in, and helps us in articulating a vision for the future. A recent New York Times article chronicles one such young leader, Camila Vallejo, a nose-ringed college student straight out of a Nirvana concert, who was till recently leading a well-orchestrated movement against the burgeoning cost of education in the strongest economy of Latin America, Chile. The more famous examples of Wael Ghomin and Jigme Khesar Namgyel provide reminders of young leaders who are willing to rise to the occasion and set out a path for their countries.
Once look at Indian politics would be enough to decry any proponents of the expanding role of youth leaders in our polity. While it is easy to single out a few names like Rahul Gandhi and Anurag Thakur, or the more infamous ones like Kanimozhi and Jagan Mohan Reddy, the structural ascension of the next generation of young leaders is sorely missing, especially somebody with a concrete vision of shaping our destiny in this century. Why is it that we are so apathetic to participating in our politics? The oft repeated answer is that it is a sludge of corruption, infamy, and back-scratching, that rewards the undeserving more than it should. Case in point being Team Anna's rancor over the right to recall, that attempts to totally bypass any existing democratic norms enshrined in our constitution. But are we actually willing to test it for ourselves? More than half of our 1.2 billion citizens are estimated to be under 25. That's a figure that should bring optimism to any face. Imagine if 200 of them can make it to the parliament once they turn 25, the minimum age of qualification for the office of an MP!
There are signs that our country is trudging towards replacing the current version of the lower house with one that focuses on all-around economic and social equity. One that will replace the partisan vitriol with spirited exchanges over competing visions of the educational policy. The voting numbers have gone up in all states, thanks to the concerted efforts of the Election commission to ensure free and fair voting for all. Governments like the one of Nitish Kumar have been voted back to power with overwhelming majority, a sign of gratitude for all that he has done to ameliorate the plight of his constituents. As we become more aspirational, and start demanding more accountability, it is just to give something in return, like our time and energy to strengthen our democracy and infuse some fresh ideas in the parliament. A quid pro quo works, at least in most cases!
PS: Here is a speech that turned a little known first-term senator into a prospective presidential candidate of the USA. Barack Obama, 43-years old then, at the 2004 DNC.
