PANAJI
Youth is the stage of life when a person has the most energy, enthusiasm, and readiness to take part in different activities – both physical and mental. This is when ability and creativity can be at their highest. India remains a young nation, with over 50% of its people below the age of 25 and more than 65% below 35. But is this really a blessing, considering the potential of young people to contribute to nation-building? This is worth examining.
Technology and the comfort zone
Are today’s youth always prompt and ready to complete their tasks? The answer is both yes and no – it depends on what the task is. With advances in science and technology, people worldwide rely on machines for most physical and mental activities, and young people are no exception. While science and technology bring many benefits, they can also have drawbacks. “When I ask my teenage son to fetch a packet of milk from the nearby shop, instead of walking to the shop which is not even five or seven minutes away, he prefers to order it on Blinkit. True, within minutes the packet arrives. But I am not happy as my motive in asking him to go out physically is to distract him from his screen time and run some errands for me,” says Nisha, a working mother from Raia. Nisha has no complaints about her son’s studies or behaviour.
She is only concerned about the lethargy that has gripped him. “How will this attitude work when he becomes a grown up man with the responsibility to run a family? A rupee saved is a rupee earned, and ordering online is quick, but it always comes with an extra charge,” Nisha points out.
Ninad’s parents often complain that he does not go out to play. Instead, he prefers to stay home, playing video games or using his mobile. “He sleeps a lot or just idles around, doing nothing constructive. In our youth we used to wait to complete our homework and run outside to play with the neighbourhood children. Games like football, cricket, and badminton for boys and hide-n-seek, skipping or cycling for girls were common in those days. The fun we had, the friendships we nourished and the bonds between the neighbours we nurtured are things in the past. Ninad had very few friends, who meet up only to go out for dinners or movies or for birthday parties. It’s really sad,” observe Lalita and Suresh, Ninad’s parents.
Changing family bonds
Scenes like this are common in many homes. In some, the whole family is glued to their mobiles, living in separate rooms and communicating with each other through phone calls rather than face-to-face conversation. “There is no dialogue between us over tea or dinner, as our timings to leave home and return don’t match. The maid cooks food and keeps it ready on the table. Each of us comes home, warms it if required and serves himself. So the shared meals and chats on the dining table are a thing of the past now. We enjoyed them in our youth days, but we are deprived of it. It looks as all of us live on different planets,” laments a working woman from a business household.
“Good were the middle-class days when Goan families lived in homes that had open front doors and neighbours were welcome anytime of the day,” recalls Sharmila Nadkarni, a retired banker and mother of two young children, both of who are working abroad. Sharmila lives with her husband in their large bungalow at Fatorda. The couple gets enough pension for a living, has a good bank balance and property but they feel lonely, as their daughter and son live abroad. “Was giving them the best education a mistake, because they got good jobs and they flew away. Now we have no-one to take care of us. Money can’t buy us joy or company of loved ones,” expresses Sharmila.
Work, lifestyle, and responsibility
Today’s youth have promising careers, but are they ready or willing to take responsibility for their parents or families? Even if some are willing, do they have the time? Jobs take up most of their day, leaving little time for family. Many working couples delay having children or decide not to have them at all. “How will we manage to drop and pick up the kid to school, or stay home when the child is ill? We have lot of work pressure, and we need to concentrate on our jobs. And both of us need to work to maintain our lifestyle,” state Meeta and Varun, both IT professionals.
The small joys of life are no longer what today’s youth seek. They have not experienced things like receiving a greeting card for a festival, or a postcard or inland letter carrying news from a distant relative. Now, a phone call or instant message brings news within seconds. Wishes and gifts arrive through social media, and platforms like WhatsApp or Zoom make communication possible without meeting in person.
“But this distancing from the family, the society or the immediate world will turn our youth into an emotionless generation that has nothing to do with what’s happening around them, because they constantly live in a virtual world or spend time alone. After a point it will also create a void in their life, with no-one around to talk or indulge in one-to-one communication, to share moments of joy or discuss about stressful situations. Calling Alexa or asking solutions on ChatGPT will not work. There are chances that youth will land up in depression, and dependence on drugs to get stimulation and motivation will rise alarmingly,” warns a psychiatrist from North Goa.
The owner of a multi-speciality hospital in South Goa often advertises for nurses, OT assistants, and ICU managers. Asked why these posts need filling every few months, she says, “Today’s youth does not want work hard. They keep on leaving the job for reasons like getting a scolding for being on the phone when a patient has to be attended. They are in a hurry to go home after duty hours without even giving handovers. So there is constant need of people who can take their place, and we have to train them. Once trained, they are no longer interested in the job. They try for a government job or go abroad. It’s difficult to run a business like hospital that needs good, alert and willing-to-serve staff.”
The way forward
To use youthful energy in a positive way, it is important to involve young people in social activities. They should be encouraged to take the lead in local governance and given tasks and responsibilities so their creativity, energy, and knowledge of the community can be used to address today’s complex challenges. We must empower youth as partners in adapting and applying global goals to local needs, while aligning with national and international priorities. Let young people become catalysts for innovation and resilience in their communities. This approach will help ensure that development remains inclusive, participatory, and sustainable.
