Youth in Politics Today

I know it’s been a while since I penned on this blog. I have now realized the need for a comeback and here is my first post after a yearlong rejuvenation phase. I pondered what to write about and was lost in thoughts. A simple status post on my Facebook page triggered my thought on what to write. ‘Politics’ or ‘an easy way to make big’ has been in talk for a while now.

In my state of India, a small country in the Asian continent, politics always has for the last 60 or so years, and will continue to play a major diplomatic role in the running of the country routines. Here, democracy is not run by the will of the public but by the rewards that political parties present to them. Whichever party provides the majority of freebies to the democratic clan, they are in play to be chosen for running the Government the next year. India has around 26 states and each have around 5-6 political parties competing within them.

The party I favored the most, lost in my state area elections and so a bit of frustration showed up on my Tweets and Facebook statuses. The response I got for this status message is what made me pen this post. Hope this post makes you ponder too and even probably change your plans of your current career options.

In India (where young people form the largest voting bloc), issues that the youth consider relevant seems to be raised only during elections when older politicians want their ballots filled. Unfortunately, none of the country's younger leaders come from a non-political background, so they are essentially the children of "politics as usual.

Those young people who are "outsiders" who do try to become involved in government tend to become disillusioned quickly. The bulk of India's youth simply do not participate in the political process because they are preoccupied with their jobs and lives, and are satisfied with, or willing to put up with, the status quo.

For their part, the elders already in office assume the youth are not equipped to participate in the nation's governance and thus do not create adequate opportunities for them to enter politics and to gain experience. There could be an Obama in our midst today who might, in the future, if given the chance, bring about dramatic changes in our country.

A more youthful presence in our government would serve as an important counterbalance to the politics embraced and practiced by more seasoned politicians. Young leaders with vision and drive to accomplish their goals could help to reduce poverty and counter illiteracy in India, as well as to provide broader opportunities for social and individual improvement, while combating corruption.

Without the fresh ideas and perspective of leaders with a more contemporary, growth-oriented outlook, however, a real face lift for India won't be possible. This means that the youth of our country must be willing to learn about the issues relevant to national growth, to exercise their right to vote, and to stand for office and participate in the business of government. Only when they do so, will real, forward-thinking change and improvement occur.

Quote for the day:

“Any 20 year-old who isn't a liberal doesn't have a heart, and any 40 year-old who isn't a conservative doesn't have a brain.”

Hours of Terror

40 Hours back, as I switched on the TV to watch my daily marathon of reality shows; a marquee began flashing beneath the TV channel logo. To my shock and surprise, and thanks to my instincts, I swapped to some News channel that would spill clarity on the BREAKING NEWS that I just saw, ‘MUMBAI ATTACKED’.

And there was the horror that I dreaded of! Away from the strategies and tactics that the IB, Police force and the Government was trying to implement, my heart immediately sank for those people who would have never woken up that day, imagining the end they would see.

Two luxury hotel sieges by unknown terrorists – the TAJ and TRIDENT! Well, how many times have I stayed in these hotels.. What would have been of me, if today I was there in one of those rooms as a hostage, fighting terror?

Young boys, by whatever name you call them, the Lashkars or the Mujahedeens or whomsoever, donning uniform black attires and clinching onto the professional, freshly imported AK-47s, had stormed into the simple lives of these innocent people to conceal the consequences and reveal the facts of their destiny. How the heck did they even enter this land amidst all that tight security? (Oh! Who am I kidding?) We all are known for the ‘being hit’ syndrome. 

Only when terror strikes in some part of the country, the states wake up and secure themselves, just in case they get hit. But this goes on for a short while, until all cools and calms down. Else, how could have these wrath filled individuals entered our land crossing the eagle eyes of our forces and guards?

Be it the Europeans who were just in town to attend a conference, or the local Cyprus origin chef who had to encounter death with his family, to the people who simply had to fall a prey to the attacks, as a result of just being in that spot, that day. What was their fault? If the attackers had a grudge towards those of foreign origin, then why did they attack those innocent Indians?

And what is their problem with people of British or American origin visiting our country for their personal or official purposes? Should India always be termed as a third world country? What was their ultimate motive? What was their success plan? If it was simply to keep us alerted on what they can do, whenever they wanted to, then why did they play fate with those innocents? They could have simply made a point through some emotionless announcement.

After the whole assault drama that has been continuing for hours now, sans the food, sleep and peace, Mumbai now remains dead in its daylight too. Nothing seems alive in the city that once never used to sleep. From films to fun, schools to sensex, everything mourns in the darkness of this incident, this horror. After fate sacrificing the life of hundreds in places, from the railway station to luxury hotels to those brave Indian officers who stood in front to lead and leave and on the other hand destiny forgiving the life of another hundreds who gets to live a traumatic future after this day, thanks to the NSG forces who have thrown light to our hopes in terms of the survival of hostages and the capturing of those mask blinded, selfless inhumanly beings.

So where does all this zero down to? Wake up politicians, Wake up the government! Yeah, Yeah, you all are doing a lot for us. But not where you have to. Stop fighting for power and prejudice within yourselves and instead get on to the streets to peek into the lives, that pay you votes. You want to bring India to the front? Well, use the brains and brawns in the right way for the right thing. Strengthen our forces, get them the best equipment, give them the best training so that any time anywhere for situations like this, we know we have a battalion that cares and have the guts to go up front and fight for those in panic and pain. We have all learned a lot. First it all began with Kashmir and now all the way till Bangalore. Blasts, murders, assassinations.. We, Indians are tired. It is time we want to be on the streets, free and fearless. Over every blast, the authorities meet up to take a decision. Two days, we all mourn a minute and then carry on with our lives and so does the authorities. But in a month or so, another set of terror incidents strike and once again we are all in panic and shock. This is what has been happening. Now, is this, what will go on, in India? Will people from all around fear to enter the boundaries of this once, sacred land? We all are economically hit and now we will be hit, in terms of everything, from tourism to education. Maybe even ‘Chandrayan’ may not help. Hope this rings a bell????

The drama still continues. Some of the masked teenagers dead and some still lingering. Hostages, some saved and the rest not. And something even more humorous that occurred to me, even during such a stressed situation was the non-availability of a copter, as part of the air unit, quite similar to the S.W.A.T team in US. Yeah, I know, that is US, and this is India man! But as my hubby rightly stated, the scarcity of such systems within our defense forces is what lacks the credibility of the nation, in terms of fighting terror worldwide. Now finally where does all this bring us to? Are we less capable of fighting terror in our very own nation or is there a blocker that is ceasing our ability to fight terror? If you had to answer this, do you have one?