THE YOUTH ARE NOT FULFILLING THEIR RESPONSIBILITY AND

ARE HEADING TOWARDS MATERIALISTIC GOALS

(For the Motion)
Esteemed judges, respected teachers, and dear friends, if we cast a close look at
todays youth, the truth of the motion strikes us as clearly as a mid day sun. The
million dollar question is Are the youth least concerned about anything other
than their salary, status and pleasure? But before we go on making such
irresponsible comments about the youth of today, lets be precise about what their
responsibility is. History tells us that a young Buddha renounced royal pleasures to
discover the truth of life, a young Sankaracharya had ventured to unite India with
his four pithas, a young Vivekananda sowed the seeds of Indian Renaissance.
Indian independence would not have been possible without the young Bhagat,
Khudiram, Rajguru, Nehru, Subhash and J.P. Friends, in 1947, they dismantled the
imperialistic superstructure but the new structure is yet to be build, and this is the
historic responsibility of the post-colonial youth. With the age old encumbrances
like undemocratic and retrogressive caste system, like the exploitation of women,
like the communalistic mindset, like poverty and illiteracy has to be revamped.
This precisely is the responsibility of the youth. With their higher education and
modern outlook, they alone can fulfill this responsibility.
But are they rising to the occasion? Once they enter the city, they forget their
villages, once they settle abroad, they tend to forget the nation. A posh job abroad
is their only summum bonum. With rare exception, the youth in the civil service
very soon discard their idealism and get drunk with the power, money and status.
The common man is the untouchable pariah for them. Most of them have joined
the new class of exploiters in collusion with the traditional elite class. A sad, very
sad commentary indeed!!
The young professionals in other sectors like management, the service sector
and even in the higher education have forgotten such old values like charity and
compassion. In the corridors of the malls, while relishing pizzas and burgers, they
forget that hunger still stalks the land in slums and hamlets. Their careerist
obsession and indulgence in the merry-go-round of pleasures are working as
blinkers. For social upliftment do we have to wait for Messiahs like Mother Teresa
from abroad?
Friends, for some other areas crying for action like environment, social
service after disaster like Tsunami and earthquakes, the exploited dalits and tribals,
human rights, the elimination of dowry etc we need hundreds of Medha Patkers
and Sandip Pandeys and not the nouveau riche youth of today. Thus I conclude
with full conviction that the youth are shirking their responsibility and are
preferring a tranquilized slumber.

THE YOUTH ARE NOT FULFILLING THEIR RESPONSIBILITY AND

ARE HEADING TOWARDS MATERIALISTIC GOALS
(Against the Motion)
Esteemed judges, teachers and friends! I take the floor against the motion and
strongly advocate that the youth are the engine that is propelling the nation to
greater and greater heights. Indias current spectacular progress can be largely
attributed to the scientific and technological manpower that consists of the
educated youth. In the IT sector, the management, in the medical sector, it is the
qualified youth that are breaking new grounds. On the basis of its dedicated youth
power, India is emerging as a developed nation. If we look at the Silicon valley in
USA, we find that the Indian youth have almost invaded that Western fortress.
Friends, in the socio-political arena, we find the youth as a liberating force.
They are ushering in a silent revolution by challenging the foundation of caste
system and the communalistic superstructure. Intercaste and inter-religion
friendships and marriages are now a way of life for the youth. Dowry falls by the
way side when the youth are opting for a union of souls and not a traditional horseriding. The youth are fulfilling another need of the hour by promoting the
empowerment of women. Look at the burgeoning number of young women as
DMs and CEOs and MDs and what not. The number of male chauvinists has
declined drastically only in the youth. They treat their wives as friends not as
bonded labourers. The enlightened youth are out to liberate the weaker sex from
the strangle hold of suppression and oppression. This is another silent revolution
that is the handiwork of the youth.
Lakhs and lakhs of young men have sacrificed their careers for fighting on
behalf of the exploited, landless rural folks and tribals as Maoists. We may not
approve of their mode of revolt but if we consider this joint exploitation of these
hapless men by landlords and bureaucrats, our hearts go out to these angry young
men. Their means may be wrong but their goals are noble. They are atleast not
after the materialistic indulgence in their jungle hide-outs.
My humble submission is that the modern youth prefers a blend of
spiritualism and materialism, a kind of golden mean. Just watch the number of
youth in the temples and among Swami Ramdevs or Sri Sri Ravishankars
followers. Lifting oneself above the morass of poverty is not materialism. I would
like to conclude that the youth are in a transition as India is itself in a state of
transition.