From an information-driven society, humanity has transitioned into a knowledge society, and many would argue that a wisdom society is already in the making. Education, innovation, creativity, and skill acquisition now stand at the forefront of progress
A quarter of a century in the third millennium has made it amply clear to one and all: things are going to change far faster in the next quarter than in the first! It would be pretty prudent not to make any guess about the next two! These are also the times of the fortunate grandfathers, who are fortunate enough to be with their grandchildren, going gaga on how their young ones, who are so brilliant, knowledgeable and skilled! These are also the times of reciprocal learning. It unfortunately loses its relevance in the times of nuclear families. The information society has transitioned to a knowledge society.
Some would say the transition to the wisdom society has already begun! Fine, that is accepted, but the focus now is on the acquisition of excellence in education, learning and skill acquisition. Recall the days of ‘STD Booths’! These were grabbed with expected enthusiasm, expanded fast, became popular, and vanished without a whimper! The depression and dejection it caused amongst the majority of those who had accepted that they could spend a lifetime in this occupation has not been — to my knowledge — studied in depth and detail.
The positive aspect of the current times is that the education policies, in particular and policies in general, are now explicitly focused on lifelong learning, innovations, and self-dependence through state-assisted initiatives. There are very encouraging instances of individuals with ideas, imagination and initiative, augmented by the bubbling curiosity, nurtured creativity and sustained commitment, who have indeed become job-givers instead of job-seekers.
This, however, is not all that could define the world before the young of the 21st century. The world before them is becoming increasingly complex, competitive, insensitive, and most importantly, incohesive, full of distrust, and the debilitating adherence to the belief that competition to generate more and more fatal weapons is the only way to create a peaceful and cohesive world! The young of today, the millennials, or the Generation Z; are making news.
As the nature of the Indian struggle for independence was unique, so was the genesis of the student agitations in post-independent India! In 1974, a localised protest against the rising mess fees ballooned to a state-wide agitation, ‘Navnirman Andolan’. It received full public support, with its horizons extended to include public resentment against corruption, unemployment and the rise in prices that had impacted the lives of practically the majority of the people. Its success in getting the state assembly dissolved and the chief minister unseated led to a similar uprising in Bihar. It was led by the indomitable JP. Though it preceded the dreaded ‘Emergency’, imposed on 25-26 June 1975, it eventually led to the emergence of the Janta Party, and unprecedented upheavals in post-independence India. There were two major outcomes in my view: the success of the fight against corruption, nepotism, and the destruction of the basic tenets of democracy by corrupt elements could be curbed, abolished and banished only by the active support of the youth! The JP movement was led by a person of unimpeachable integrity, unparalleled commitment, and support of the young. Unfortunately, most of the young leadership that grew under him failed to maintain even a minimum level of such values and ‘purity in public life’. The scenario with respect to values, morals and ethics in public life declined to such low levels that Assam was being flooded by the East Pakistani/ Bangladeshis, with full connivance of leaders of well-known political outfits.
They were settling them in places of their choice, determined by intensive mathematical calculations with next elections in mind. The names mentioned included state and Union ministers! It was transforming not only the demography of Assam, but became a serious danger to its age-old traditions and culture. One vividly recalls the great launch of the Asom Gana Parishad on October 13-14, 1985, all of them university students. They could mobilise people’s support throughout the state, and the agitation that followed led to the downfall of the state Government, and a glorious victory of the nascent political outfit!
It was a great phenomenon in the political history of India. On both of these occasions, the failures were an ‘inevitable’ consequence of the allurements of power, a sure recipe for generating distrust amongst even the staunchest of friends and colleagues. Distrust invariably destroys democracy. Recall the world before the 20+ year olds after independence, and that before the same age group maturing up in the first quarter of the 21st century! The challenges are so different! One belonging to the first set — like yours truly — had high hopes from the then leadership; men and women of high character and sacrifice. The fortunate ones in colleges and universities were sure to get jobs, had full faith in the honesty of the recruitment agencies and individuals manning institutions and recruitment agencies, no one had heard about paper leakage mafias, of solvers, or jobs for land and consideration! The young and educated of today are destined to suffer all of these, irrespective of the ideological orientations of those in power. The young of today are mostly restless, uncertain and worried, as most of the leaders of today are just a study in contrast to that of the initial years of independent India. It is a journey from total sacrifice to accumulation, accumulation and more accumulation. The recent events in Bangladesh and Nepal have woken up politicians globally for varied reasons depending upon which side of the political spectrum they are. In fact, there is simmering unhappiness amongst the young in several countries, particularly in Europe.
The latest protest march in London has organic links to the discontentment amongst the youth, particularly in Europe, as the demographic changes are threatening their culture and cohesion, and the developing countries. A deeper in-depth analysis would indicate how the immigration policies have impacted every aspect of not only the economic contours of the society in several nations; it has also drastically transformed the socio-cultural scenario practically across every national boundary! Visionary politician and educationist Dr S Radhakrishnan had envisioned the consequential changes on a global scale and had cautioned people some eight decades ago. Unfortunately, though people do understand the inevitability of the increasing intermingling, it is not easy to come to terms with it.
Two basic principles must be strictly adhered to. Those in power must create forums for the young to express, analyse and infer, and synchronise their policies accordingly, while those out of power should not fall prey to the lofty ideas of inciting the young for political ends.
The author works in education, religious amity and social cohesion
