Youth signifies and represents ideal-ism and hope. Every generation of young persons charts out its
own course to realize its dreams and aspirations in life. Meanwhile it is the perpetual responsibility of
the elders to assist the youths in growing up and in becoming familiar with the eternal human values.
Further, they need acquaintance with different facets of human quest that has led to generation,
creation, dissemination and evolution of knowledge resulting in better understanding of the forces of
nature, the world around us, and the way civilizations evolve and march ahead. They must prepare
themselves to chalk out their new goals of life they wish to pursue and the contributions they intend to
make to society. The youths are to be taught to paint the vast canvas of life with ideas and activities
that could help them visualize the future they are to create for themselves and their fellow men. They
need to strive to know what is real and what is unreal. They could also be guided to appreciate that
the search for truth is the ultimate goal that one realizes only after understanding the transitory nature
of all that is constantly changing around every moment. An acquaintance with the history and heritage
of India could give them a feeling of continuity and motivate them to assume responsibility to take the
lineage ahead. Above all, cultural moorings and scriptures may motivate and instil in them a sense of
possession of the sublime, goodness and beauty, which they need to assimilate and internalize.
The world is continuously on the march. The 21st century represents a transition from ‘information
society’ to the ‘knowledge society’. Knowledge alone can transform even a slack and lethargic society
to join others in dynamic endeavours for progress and development. No society can remain stagnant
and isolated and hope for survival these days. What matters is the level of general awareness and
willingness coupled with determination to utilize knowledge for the welfare of the ‘people’, ie
themselves. It is well understood that universal education and greater participation in higher education
is the road that every nation must tread at this stage. They do need leadership and guidance in early
stages. Millions of Indians imbibed the seemingly impossible goals put forward by Mahatma Gandhi
during the freedom struggle. They gladly accepted sacrifice, sufferings and personal injury of various
kinds. No generation can pass on the eternal values of life like truth, integrity, idealism, service of
others and moral codes of conduct to the next generation without itself presenting concrete evidence
of having adhered to these in their own lives. There must be examples for study, scrutiny and
adaptation and then, finally, every generation has to learn for itself, prepare to delineate what would be
the best in the times ahead. Education along with the family and the society could prepare every
generation to make the correct and appropriate choice. Apart from dedication, commitment, acquisition
of competence, proficiency in acquisition of knowledge and willingness to upgrade it continuously, it
would also be equally, rather even more, important to internalize the need for disciplined exercise of
human faculties. The moral crisis being faced by every nation at present arises out of unwise,
materialistic and undisciplined application of human faculties. All awareness and acquaintance with
high morals, ethics, values and principles is of little consequence unless sustained efforts are made by
all concerned to achieve their internalization and then imbibe a determination to stick to them even in
circumstances that may indeed be testing and demanding.
The 20th century was the century of science and technology. It gave mankind enough know-how,
knowledge and skill that empowered them to control the forces of nature. A possibility emerged in
which, with an equitable distribution of the natural resources, every human being could live a decent
life, and the world could be freed from hunger, poverty, misery and drudgery. What the world really got
was two World Wars, the brutal and cruel destruction of Hiroshima and Nagasaki, massacre of millions
in Germany and also in USSR and China. There was violence spread over the globe all around. There
was a Mahatma Gandhi, a Martin Luther King Jr, an Albert Schweitzer and also Hitler, Mussolini, and
Stalin. There were illumined minds that strived hard to propagate eternal human values. There werealso those who had not been imbued with the basics of humanity and the eternal human values.
Things changed fast. There were positive developments like end of colonialism and apartheid,
restoration of rights to women, establishment of the United Nations and others. In India, caste system
and untouchability were discarded; acceptance of diversity, India’s greatest heritage and asset began
gaining strength. Young persons from India have proved to the entire world that even learning in
deficient and deprived conditions, they can match in effort, commitment and intellectual abilities with
the best in the world. Indians have established their superiority in science, technology and lately in the
field of Information and Communication Technology (ICT). The West is now looking towards India,
which has the demographic advantage as around 65 per cent of its population are below 30 years. It is
time to realize the value of every human life—some prefer to call it human resource—and the need to
give them chance and opportunity to prove themselves in non-exploitative conditions.
A very significant point to be noted is that, at the time of the beginning and subsequent growth of
science and technology in Europe, there was little acquaintance with the Eastern philosophy and
thought amongst the people in general and also amongst the scientists. Scientific advances influence
the socio-cultural and spiritual values, hence these cannot be viewed in isolation. The growth of
science and technology has mostly resulted in materialistic gains at the cost of spiritual quest, which
alone provides fullness to the human endeavour and is crucial for the very survival of human beings.
Materialism leads to the weakening of the sense of adherence to eternal human values. It creates an
imbalance between man and nature. Overexploitation of natural resources has already reached nonreversible and non-renewable stages in several areas. The consequences of these are visible in terms
of several new concerns that the youth of tomorrow shall be facing: the global warming, the ozone
hole, deforestation, environmental degradation and serious issues of pollution, adulteration and
toxification. The dilemma is best explained by a simple and familiar example. The government policies
recommend prohibition and incur expenditures to promote the idea. Surprisingly these very
governments try to earn more and more revenue from liquor sales! Such liquor shops are invariably
located in areas that are inhabited by the poorest of the poor. And practically all these governments
swear by the name of Mahatma Gandhi, democratic values, and their ‘dedication’ to serve the poorest
of the poor!
The 21st century began as usual with unmitigated violence and cruelest of mass killings in human
history, which overshadow the outstanding breakthroughs in human welfare. It finds itself face-to-face
with terrorism and fundamentalism. There is no paucity of scientific breakthroughs and technological
advances to overcome most of the challenges being faced by the human beings, what is missing is
the wisdom and compassion to do so. Knowledge proliferates in all its glory but wisdom languishes in
some hidden spots only. While the visibility of globalization and transition to a global society is
apparent, challenges before the future generations have increased manifold. The world is getting
ready for a far more complex transition than any of its earlier transitions: from the caves to forests,
from forests to nomadic, pastoral, industrial and then post-industrial society. Globalization unhinges
cut-throat competition in a shrinking world in which the gap between the developing and the developed
nations is not decreasing but widening. The distrust amongst faiths and religions is on the rise. The
citizens of the world have all become neighbours. They still have to learn how to become
‘neighbourly’.
When Mahatma Gandhi wanted education ‘to draw out the best out of the body, mind and spirit’, he
possibly understood the lack of emphasis on skills and spiritual aspects in education. If he were to
witness the level of this neglect today, it would have appalled him! ‘My life is my message’ is one of the
most valued of his statements that presents a code of moral conduct before all of us and particularly
before the icons of the young whom they emulate for ‘learning’, and for reshaping their lives! The
political leadership offers a very discouraging setting. The way elections are conducted and the type of
people who become representatives of the people and project themselves as the saviours of
democratic values perplexes the youth. What they observe generates more disinterest than the
eagerness to enhance their thirst for democratic values. The easy entry of ‘tainted’ and criminalelements into the corridor of politics and power seems to sharpen their frustration. The manner in
which the business of the Houses of the Parliament and state legislatures get disrupted rarely
presents a worthwhile example to emulate in their future life. Corruption is practically institutionalized
and the most horrifying aspect is that of its inroads into the realm of education—both in schools and in
higher education. When the Prime Minister of India expresses concern that about 60 per cent of
universities and 90 per cent of colleges are functioning at a below average level, there is a case for
serious rethinking on what are we depriving our youths of.
Expansion in every sector generally leads to dilution of quality if necessary precautions are not taken.
India greatly needs an early expansion of higher education institutions, but it can ill afford any further
dilution of quality, particularly the neglect of moral values and principles that are essential to prepare
an individual for a purposeful journey in life. Can the Planet Earth survive if education fails to bring
about a symphony of ‘Self, Society and Nature’?
India is now getting a taste of reality. While the number of billionaires in India is increasing every
month, people living below the poverty line is estimated at 300 million. Even those above this ‘line’ do
not lead an enviable life. Is India not facing a crisis of ‘ideology of progress’? Can this country continue
to ape the Western concept of progress and retain its own identity? Is India ready and equipped to
face the challenges and onslaughts on its culture, languages, and diversity that it has nurtured and
preserved as an asset over the centuries? With the passage of time these questions are likely to
acquire larger magnitude. The inability of the present generations to act as the trustees of the future
generations is evident. Our institutions also appear deficient to appreciate the emerging aspirations of
the youths and respond to these with adequate moderation, wherever necessary.
Take the instance of stressful learning. Can any society ignore the increasing numbers of suicides
before and after examinations, child abuse and molestation by teachers, violence within campus, fake
degrees, and so much more? Even one such case must wake up our conscience and impel us to think
of remedial measures. These problems, however, cannot be solved merely by issuing official circulars
and even by punishing the guilty, which rarely happens. The maladies have taken deep root. So the
solutions must emerge from careful scrutiny and logical inferences that are based on a comprehensive
view of how human beings grow up and how they can be inspired to lead a meaningful life. All these
developments call for a sound rethinking of values, ethics and morals which may lead to the
internalization of humane elements and inculcation of a sense of need to grow up in inner strength and
moral external actions.
What can be done
In one of his discourses on ‘Purpose of Education’ Dr Radhakrishnan summarizes the theme
beautifully:
If men make history, ideas make men. What is our objective with regard to the training of youth? Are
we to prepare them for life or for death? Do we send our children to school, young men to colleges, to
make them behave like beasts of prey? When we look around and see what is taking place in
academic centres, how we are imposing on . . . youth false ideas, how we are debasing the minds and
corrupting the hearts of the young, making them crazy with the lust of cruelty and power, do we not
feel guilty of using the noble instrument of education for ignoble ends? What is our purpose in
university education? Is it the Nazi ideal of military efficiency? Is it the Fascist ideal of ‘work, obey and
fight’? Are we to train youth for class struggle as Communists demand? Will system of education
based on such ideals help us to create a new and better order of society? The totalitarian States look
upon human beings as aimless, drifting, soulless creatures, who without any mind or will of their own
can be driven like cattle or moulded like clay by those who appoint themselves as their rulers. We are
not taught to use our understanding, but to yield like animals to our instincts and appetites . . . . To
make us soulless, to degrade us to the level of animal cannot be the purpose of education’.
