Essays

The greatest wealth and strength of any nation is its youth. The future of a nation lies in the hands of its posterity. The quality of its youth determines the kind of future the nation will have. Therefore, if we want to ensure a bright future for our country, we first need to strengthen and empower our youth. The youth of any nation and society are its potential energy. They are the powerhouse and storehouse of infinite energy. They are the ones who are the pride of the nation. It is the youth which bring laurels to their country. The power of youth can be cited only by mentioning a few names which every single Indian is proud of, such as Sachin Tendulkar, Vishwanathan Anand, Sanya Mirza, Leander Paes, Mahesh Bhupati, Sushmita Sen, Aishwarya Rai. RTUsha, Shiny Abraham, Anju George, Rajiv Gandhi, Kapil Dev, Sunil Gavaskar, Jaspal Rana, Major Rajyavardhan Rathore, Anil Kumble, Rahul Gandhi, Dilip Tirkey, Aparna Popat, Karnam Malleshwari etc. The very mention of these names fills the heart of an average Indian with pride.

These are only a few examples of all the sung and unsung heroes and heroines who have left their imprints on the sands of time and have led our country forward. In fact, we owe our present to the youth of the previous generation who forsook their everything, even their lives for the freedom of their motherland. Who can forget the great sacrifices of Rajguru, Sukhdev, Chandra Shekhar Azad, Bhagat Singh, Bismilla Khan, Vijay Singh Pathik, Mangal Pander, etc who surrendered everything for their country.

Youth make up about 34% of the total population of the country. This 34% constitutes the country's future. If we can harness this powerhouse of the nation in the right direction, then the country can reach untold heights. All we need is to direct the energy of our youth in constructive channels that lead to development and progress. The creative potential of the younger generation coupled with their zeal, enthusiasm, energy and versatility can work wonders for the country. We need to empower our youth so that they can make a better tomorrow.

The best and the first and foremost way to strengthen our youth is to provide them education. Not just any kind of education, but the right kind of education which makes them scientific, logical, open-minded, self respecting, responsible, honest and patriotic. Without these virtues being developed, our youth cannot walk in the desired way and they will remain in a deep slumber of complacency.

Unless harnessed and tapped in the right way, this very energy of the youth can tip over the other side and become destructive and dangerous for the society; crime is on high and violence is increasing in today's time. If we look at the data, we realize that our youth is losing touch with a sense of right and wrong or good and bad. This is because, as a nation, we have failed in our duty to capture their energy and mould it in the right direction. Due to increasing unemployment, we have been unable to keep our youth busy in constructive works. We fail to help them realize their dreams and hence they get lost and go in the wrong direction, as the saying goes 'An empty mind is the devil's workshop". We have failed poorly in this direction. The result is that nothing inspires our youth except shortcuts to make money, to achieve success and realize their dreams. We have failed to give them the right kind of opportunities. Look at our own youth settled overseas - they are working wonders there. Why can't they do it here, in their own country? The answer lies in the lack of opportunities, which they find in plenty in other countries. The loss is completely ours. An entire nation will, in a few years be empty of its posterity due to this increasing tendency to go abroad and get settled - called the Brain Drain of the country- It is high time we prevent our youth from leaving the country or giving into violence and terrorism by providing them better options, by strengthening and empowering them.

Let us focus on constructively using the power of the youth for the betterment of the nation. Let us frame such policies which aim at empowering our youth so that we can be assured of a better future and a brighter tomorrow.