One out of every 2 Indians today is under the age of 25. Most agree that this is a good thing. Some express concern over whether the country will be able to create enough opportunities for the 200 million+ young men and women that will be graduating from college over the next 10 – 15 years. But, very few acknowledge the power of the youth to create their own opportunities. The youth, after-all, does not just consist of passive actors waiting for the society to absorb them or to hand them opportunities on a platter. They are powerful change-agents in their own right with the ability to shape and reshape the world around them according to their hopes and dreams, and their vision of a world that they would like to live in and lead in.
The biggest drivers of progress in any society are entrepreneurship and innovation. Over the past year, as I have been traveling the length and breadth of the country, interacting with the youth, I am finding more and more young people infused with an entrepreneurial spirit. What is especially beautiful and awe-inspiring is that they are using their entrepreneurial drive and moral imagination to come up with powerful solutions for a whole host of social problems.
Look at Sandeep Mehto, for instance. He saw that in the district that he belongs to – Hoshandabad, in Madhya Pradesh, 90% of the people live below the poverty line, the literacy rate is as low 40%, and of the handful that do complete their schooling, most drop out and never go to college. Grateful that he was the first person in his family to go beyond primary school; in fact, he went on to get a masters degree in social enterprise from the Tata Institute of Social Sciences, he formed a vision to see to it that every child has the opportunity to access higher education, if that is what he or she desires. He started a venture called Bharat Calling, through which he is working in the tribal areas of Madhya Pradesh to train, support and mentor students to pursue higher education. If that means he has to travel 300 kilometers to accompany a student that needs to take an entrance exam, and sleep on the railway platform while he waits, so be it. That’s the level of his commitment. Just over a year into operation, he has already helped over 50 students, a majority of whom are girls, from the poorest parts of Madhya Pradesh, go to some of the top universities in India.
The great thing about the current young generation in India is that they grew up in an India that was already well on its way to making economic progress. Their vision for India, therefore, is remarkably different from the generations prior because they are not constrained by India’s past. They have no memory of it! Where others see failures, they see new possibilities. Where others feel resignation, they feel hope. Where others are trapped in old beliefs and systems, they are willing to try something new. Where others see differences, they see oneness. They don’t accept the inequalities that they see around them as a given. The model of development that they embrace is one of inclusive growth, where no one gets left behind.
India is home to the world’s largest population of street children, estimated at well over 11 million. India is also home to over 20 million orphans, that’s almost half of all children under 12 years old. These children need love and attention just as much as any child would, but most would be happy if someone were to just call them by their name. At the same time, there is a significant population of the elderly in the country that, after having retired, does not feel as useful in society anymore. Shyamali Rathore had a brilliant idea. How about you bring the two groups together, and have them engage in a simple activity – planting a tree, which is then named after the child. This is what we call a win-win-win situation. The child feels special, the elderly feel significant again, and the environment benefits. It’s a simple idea, perhaps so simple it could only come from a young heart. But then again, there always is great power in simplicity.
In fact, it’s all the more reason to empower young people to run with their ideas because when you’re young you naturally dream big, you are more willing to take risks, to try something new, and to embrace change. Armed with endless energy, enthusiasm and optimism, you find it in you to make things happen. And, once you set a precedent for taking charge when you’re young, you create a strong foundation upon which to lead for the rest of your life, because the conviction and confidence that you have the power to change the world never leaves you, and you draw upon it again and again and again.
What would you expect an engineering graduate from IIT, which is widely believed to be one of the most highly acclaimed universities in India, indeed in the world, to do? A) Get a lucrative job at a large multinational company – in banking or IT, B) Get a high ranking position with the government, or how about, C) Set aside all options to go work, live, eat and sleep among farmers in one of the most poorest states in the country. I am sure you would agree that C is the most unlikely choice, but C is exactly the choice that two brave young men made.
Meet Shashank Kumar- an IIT Delhi Graduate and Manish Kumar– an IIT Kharagpur graduate. The two became friends while preparing for the IIT entrance exams. Both harbored an overwhelming desire to do something meaningful for a long time, and when the time came, they joined hands to form an organization to help improve the productivity of small and marginal farmers in Bihar. They knew absolutely nothing about agriculture, but that didn’t stop them. They put together a board of agricultural experts from around the country to help them. At first the villagers laughed at them. They thought these kids must not have anything better to do with their life; that is why they have come back to the village, but no one was laughing when using the tools and methods they recommended the farmers started experiencing a 4-fold increase in productivity and profitability. Today, they are working in 8 districts and 25 villages in Bihar with up to 1000 farmers, helping them with everything from better production techniques to marketing their produce.
These are just 3 examples. There are 100s of Manishs, Shashanks, Shyamali’s and Sandeep’s in the making all over the country. What they all share is a burning passion to make a difference. What they all need to succeed is the support of parents that will encourage alternative career paths, teachers that will nurture their creativity and give them the relevant tools to remake the world, mentors that will guide them, friends that will join hand with them and a society that will make space for them as change-agents and leaders. The young population of India is indeed the greatest wealth it has. If we can give them wings, there really is no problem too great, and no force too large that a young heart on a mission cannot conquer.
So, if you have a young heart that is telling you that you too can change the world in your own unique way, please raise your hand, speak up, stand up, step forward, and take action. The world needs you to.
