Young individuals in India have been contributing with their talent and acumen in traditional areas like politics, literature, art and music, etc., but now they are taking a keen interest in new areas such as science and technology, innovation, research and development, etc.
The enthusiasm of the young in science and technology can be gauged when they gathered in huge numbers for the launch of Chandrayaan-2, stayed awake the entire night and exhibited genuine curiosity during the event.
Chandrayaan-2 is the second lunar exploration mission, after Chandrayaan-1, developed by the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO), to map and study the variations in lunar surface composition and the location and abundance of water on the lunar surface. The spacecraft was launched on its mission to the Moon at the Satish Dhawan Space Centre in Andhra Pradesh on 22 July 2019 by a GSLV Mark III-M1, entered into the Moon’s orbit on 20 August 2019 and began orbital positioning manoeuvres for the landing of the Vikram lander.
Developing interest
It was primarily to nudge the young towards scientific exploration and to develop scientific temple that a facility has been made recently to watch rocket launching at Sriharikota – a barrier island off the Bay of Bengal coast in Tirupati district in Andhra Pradesh that houses the Satish Dhawan Space Centre and one of the two satellite launch centres in India. The facility is open for all and can be booked online as well.
ISRO’s Yuvika (Yuva Vigyani Karyakram) programme, launched for school students in 2019, aims to integrate youth with science. This programme is also in consonance with the country’s vision – Jai Jawan, Jai Kisan, Jai Vigyan, Jai Anusandhaan.
Estimates of the United Nations Population Fund reveal that presently India has its largest ever adolescent (ages 10-19) and youth (ages 15-24) population so far and will continue to do so till the year 2030. This demographic dividend is the basis of the declaration of the Amrit Kaal – the next 25 years till India’s 100th year of Independence.
Today, more and more young individuals are benefitting from and contributing to indigenisation in the areas of science and technology. More are aiming for positions in space research and technology that was considered out of reach till a decade ago.
The key to realising India’s new dreams that rest heavily on the youth is innovation. Today, many more young members are leaning towards technology, creating wonders, innovating technology and encouraging others as well.
Using technology for social causes
The biggest inventions are those that make the world a better place, help a group of people or uplift the society. More and more young individuals in India are using their talent for social causes.
Sisters Aditi Prasad and Deepti Rao Suchindran have always been intrigued with education and technology and how the combination can help young minds. The duo runs Robotix Learning Solutions as the COO and CIO, respectively. Through their works they are reaching out to young girls to involve them in robotics and other avenues of STEM education.
Indian Robotix League is a mega annual robotics and training competition developed by the two sisters to inspire young innovators. They also run Indian Girls Code that inspires young girls to learn coding and develop real-world applications. They feel such initiatives empower the youth especially the girls in many ways.
A Class IX student from Arunachal Pradesh, Anang Tadar, developed a pair of goggles to help the visually-impaired navigate hands-free. The goggles use the same technology used by bats, called echolocation, to sense their surroundings and basically help the wearer by altering him or her of an object within two metres of the field view.
In 2017, his innovation fetched him the Dinanath Pandey Smart Idea Innovation Award. UNICEF also expressed interest in refining his prototype so it is market ready. Rifath Sharook, an 18-year-old student from Tamil Nadu designed the world’s smallest satellite that weighs merely 64 grams. It was launched into space by NASA in 2017.
Contribution in politics
An active political participation from the youth plays an important role in the healthy functioning of a vibrant democracy like India’s. Youth offer fresh ideas and when equipped with adequate resources will implement these ideas well.
History is witness how change has been brought by youth in cases when everything else failed. The youth have helped advocate ideas undeterred by social norms and restraints that usually limit others.
In political systems, all parts of the society must be included and well represented. In cases where the youth of the society are detached or disenfranchised from political processes, democracy weakens as a big portion of the population loses its voice. In the absence of or with the weakening of influence in democratic decision-making, there is a risk to the entire segment or portion, in this case, the youth.
In 2004, 50 per cent of the Indian population was aged 30 years or younger and there were only 35 young Lok Sabha members of the total 543 seats that were under the age of 35 years, a mere six per cent share. All political parties have student and youth wings and most of these produce young leaders who later take up important positions in national politics.
Among the rising stars of Indian politics, popular names are Tejasvi Surya, Aditya Thackeray, Tejashwi Yadav, etc. Rishabh Mukati is India’s youngest politician and is working with the slogan of public service first.
Young politicians are the future of the nation. Some belong to political families and others have worked their way up by sheer hard work and determination. Aishe Ghosh, Goddeti Madhavi, Prajwal Revanna, Shreyasi Singh, Chandana Bauri, Priya Ranjan, Hardik Patel and a few other are also leaving their mark in India’s political arena.
In the recently constituted 17th Lok Sabha in India, 253 of the 543 (47 per cent) Members of Parliament (MPs) are over the age of 55, as per a report by PRS Legislative Research. This forms the largest number of MPs to be elected to the Lok Sabha who are above the age of 55 in the history of the country. In the previous Lok Sabha, the percentage of MPs over the age of 55 was 43 per cent.
With every election since Independence, the Lok Sabha has been getting older. As per the report, in the latest or the 17th Lok Sabha, only 71 MPs, a mere 13 per cent, happen to be under the age of 40. The median age in India is 27.9 years but only 2.2 per cent of Lok Sabha MPs are below the age of 30. And, only 1 in 4 Indian MPs (22 per cent) are below the age of 45. India ranks at 19th position, among 98 countries, when it comes to the number of MPs below the age of 30.
According to the Inter Parliamentary Union (IPU), the median age of the global population is around 26.4 years and among the voting age population worldwide, 49 per cent are between the ages of 20 and 39, but the average age of those sitting in the world’s parliaments is now between 51-60 years.
In a young democracy like India, the inclusion and involvement of youth in formal political processes is important. Active contributions from the young keep democratic values and principles alive that are important to keep power elements in check and for the nation’s growth.