Written by Hriday Ranjan for The New Indian Express
Two weeks back, youth in Nepal took down their government through massive protests that originated on social media. According to reports, they even held important discussions on the next President on Discord! Whatever you think of the movement, it does take spheres of steel to do it. In Indonesia, protestors set fire to the Parliament building to protest illegal spending by authorities.
In fact, if you look around – all the countries around us are going through a revolution of sorts. In Bangladesh, the people overthrew the government a few months back. In Sri Lanka, the Rajapaksha government was overthrown in 2022. And Pakistan? Well, they have to watch their team lose to India thrice in the span of a month – that is generational trauma, so we shall keep them out of this. But all around us, the youth are up in arms against the system.
This led me to find sarcastic social media posts questioning the apparent lethargy of Indian youth. Incendiary posts that questioned where our nation was headed. Of how they are comfortable in their homes and on their smartphones. Memes about youth of other countries revolting, while Indian youth were busy sharing memes. A meta-meme, if you know what I meme!
But here’s my defence of Indian youth. It’s common for older people to judge those younger than them. It’s a misapprehension that all human beings nurture. We think we are wiser than those younger than us because we have lived for more years on earth. But that’s a rather silly concept. Humans have become apex creatures on earth because every generation is smarter than those that came before them. This is true of the entire world – every generation is smarter, and (surprisingly) kinder than the previous one. If you want proof, just look at the different movements that have taken place over the years. About a hundred years ago, we overthrew kingdoms and created governments run by people. Then, human rights came in. Then came women’s rights. Then came animal rights. Then came LGBTQ rights. Every generation expands our understanding of empathy.
It’s the fallacy of wisdom that makes us assume we know better than those younger than us. But we just have to look at our parents to notice how obsolete we get as time passes. Which brings me to Indian youth. They are stuck between age-old civilisations and AI innovations. Every generation before them had to deal with crises. Religious riots and nuclear sanctions. Before that, the Emergency and wars. Before that, the Freedom movement.
Today’s Indian youth might be the first generation that can pursue their dreams without the fear of the nation crumbling in front of them. On top of that, everything they like is snatched away from them. They liked video games, and PUBG got banned. They got over their insecurities and put themselves out in public through TikTok – but even that got banned. They overcame smoking by switching to vapes – and those got banned. Three years of their peak years were snatched away by Covid-19.
But as a man who’s no longer young, I still believe in the youth of India. Maybe Indian revolutions don’t happen over petro-bombs, but rather through hashtags and reels. Indian youth revolt against arranged marriage by using dating apps. Against bureaucracy by founding startups. Against strict politicians by making memes. The youth in India have always stood up when it mattered – whether it was the Great Indian Revolt, the freedom movement, or the Emergency. Maybe they’re gathering evidence, collecting memes, and making reels. For now, I’d like to give Indian youth the benefit of pout!
(The writer’s views are personal)