How youth can Dealing With Drug Withdrawal Symptoms

If you have decided on making an effort to quit drug addiction, congratulations; you've made the right choice towards better health. But you have to take caution though; the road you're treading to quit drugs may be bumpy, and sometimes you'll also feel that your efforts are like an uphill climb. This is due to the difficulty which all drug dependents go through during the rehabilitation process; withdrawal. You may have heard of this before and may even have experienced it in your initial attempts to quit drug addiction. Be sure that whatever you are going through, it will definitely pass in time.

Your body is experiencing these symptoms because it is accustomed to regular intake of the substance you are trying to get rid of in your effort to quit drugs. The unique thing about your body is that it becomes accustomed to an ever-increasing intake of any substance, and will get used to previous doses of the drugs you used to take, without providing the effect you were expecting to receive. Once you quit drug addiction, the sudden drop of the level of the substance will be missed by your body, and will react in a way that is normal for it - to flush out the residue and recompense for the loss. This to you can be either uncomfortable or entirely intolerable, depending on the intensity and the length of time which you have spent using it.

During this trying period, you will admittedly constantly think about backtracking on your decision to quit drugs. In all earnestness, don't. Think about the prize for going through this short-lived experience. You will get rid of your drug dependence and move on to a more fulfilled life without it. You will be able to regain the life you have missed before your dependence. It doesn't matter which substances you are trying to get rid off in your attempt to quit drug addiction; it is a hurdle which you can overcome - but you have to strengthen your resolve to get through it.

Sometimes the toll which your effort to quit drugs may be too difficult to handle; in this case it is better if you admit yourself into a rehabilitation facility which provides help for people who are trying to quit drug addiction. With professional help and therapy, your opportunities for returning to drug dependence are done away with, since you won't be exposed in any way with them during your admission. This will make your effort to quit drug addiction that much easier to bear, and you'll be able to get back to your life before dependence sooner than you expect.

back

ne

Effect Of Western Culture On Indian Youth

I Strongly believe that there is a substantial influence of western culture on Indian youths. Mere mention of the word 'India' signifies a place of cultural heritage as well as diversity. But the cultural legacy that we are showing to the whole world is becoming a thing of history in metropolitan cities.

On one side we enjoy our so-called rich culture and really admire it but on the other side we find discotheques full of young guys and girls. Secondly, Joint family tradition; one of the biggest assets of India is now vanishing under the shadow of the so-called western culture. Nuclear families are taking place of many years' old values. Youth of today is more interested in their privacy rather than enjoying their lives with others. Individualization has broken up the joint family system, paving way for the youth to fall prey to drug addiction. This stage is the most vulnerable period of life where the youth need guidance, counseling, education and care by parents.

So how did we get part of their culture over here, you ask, their culture has become over popularized here, through electronic media that everyone wants to be just like them. Because of that India has lost her identity from all other countries. We’ve now become a copy – cat to all other nations and we may lose our individuality. The reason is because, we want another image, we don’t want to be the olden – day - traditional country, which still hasn’t become the so - called ‘modern’, even in the 21st century. We don’t want to look like imposters to all other well – developed countries. If you have ever thought of that, erase that thought because the image we’ve got planted in our minds is terribly wrong. India is not an imposter to other nations, it never has been, but will if the people of today continue to do everything they see on cable TV.

India is an independent country now and has been for a while, with no such problems. The reason behind that is because our ancestors fought for us, so that we could have a future in our own way, not with any other way, which we are not used to. I’m not saying that India should stop everything they’ve learnt from western countries, but to have some individuality from other nations and to set an example to the other 3rd world countries and give out the message that there are other nations to set an example on.

So, for the people who fought for us, for India to keep her dignity and to be a leader to other countries, we the people of today must be our own country and not be some other country, which we’re not. Everyone is his or her own countryman - why can’t we be our own as well?

Is a College Education Important?

While some individuals are searching for the perfect college or university to attend, others may be questioning the importance of a college education and if they should even go to school. Whether or not a college education is important or even necessary depends on your career and salary goals.

Unless you are the heir to a fortune, earning an income is a necessary part of life. How do you plan to make the money to house, feed, clothe yourself and pay your bills?

Professional, corporate, and many government jobs require a minimum of a bachelor's degree to be considered for employment.

Jobs in fields like nursing, culinary arts, cosmetology, technology, and automotive careers may require an associate's degree or the completion of a certificate program.

You could become a business owner without receiving a formal education. However, it may be necessary to take some entrepreneurial classes or hire and accountant and lawyer in order to build and maintain a successful business. Jobs in areas like public utilities, construction, and even some administrative positions may only require a high school diploma or GED if you possess the relevant skills.

When deciding on a career you should ask yourself; will I be happy performing the job and will the pay be enough for the lifestyle I desire? If you can not decide on a career or at least an area of interest, then you may want to wait on going to college. You could end up spending time and money taking courses in one major that may not count at all towards your degree if you change your major at a later time.

If a job that doesn't require formal education appeals to you then you could be fine without college. But if your desired career requires a degree or certificate and if you would like to earn an income that affords you a more comfortable lifestyle, then a college education is very important.

Role of youth in India's development

YOUTH HAVE some responsibility towards their country. We need to learn from yesterday and live with hope for a better tomorrow. We can learn from our past how the young warriors shed their blood for the country.

"Hesitating to act because the whole vision might not be achieved,

Or because others do not yet share it, is an attitude that hinders progress."

It was with these words that Ashutosh Gowarikar made Swadesh, India’s first mainstream commercial film with its heart in the right place, when it talks about serving the nation. Yes, we have heard about Shahrukh Khan’s realistic portrayal of Mohan Bhargava, the project manager working with NASA who comes back to India, only to face ground realities.

Shahrukh’s was just a role, a performance. But, there are many inspiring performances and roles played by real life heroes - Indians who served the nation to make it what it is today.

It takes just a minute or few seconds to expose intelligent humans to the most inevitable and powerful truth in life but it takes years to prove the same.

And hey, we are alive and powerful. So let’s look around and listen to that cry of mother India, which is unheard. Choose your role and act appropriately.

Youth power: Native American kids making a difference for ACS

Sunday Date 30 - 4 - 10
A Dakota proverb says, “We will be known forever by the tracks we leave.” American anthropologist Margaret Mead once said, “Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed citizens can change the world.”

In today’s society, we often think of adults as those who make a difference, but youth also have the power to volunteer and make a difference in this world – and to be known forever by the tracks they leave.

And every day, youth are making a difference – a big difference, especially for the American Cancer Society.

Last year, a group of fourth and fifth-grade students from the Todd County Rosebud Reservation in South Dakota participated in a society-sponsored “mini-relay,” – an offset of the American Cancer Society’s signature Relay For Life event. The Mini-Relay For Life was organized by the National Honor Society at Todd County High School and Faculty Advisor Rhonda Cherry.

Nearly 400 students were involved in the event, which raised funds to go toward cancer research and helped educate students about the importance of diet and exercise as part of a cancer-free lifestyle.

A mini-relay is a youth-focused version of a community American Cancer Society Relay For Life, and incorporates fundraising and wellness education. The mini-relay usually takes place in a school.

“The mini-relay really helps students understand what it means to live a healthy lifestyle, and allows them to become aware of choices they can make to stay healthy and prevent cancer,” said Bobbi Clark, who coordinates the community American Cancer Society Relay For Life in Todd County, called “Rockin Relay on the Rez.”

Todd County’s mini-relay accounted for one of the 51 mini-relays that took place nationwide for the American Cancer Society last year. Overall, through both mini-relays and Relay For Life programs, youth accounted for 275,000 participants on 25,000 teams nationwide, and together raised more than $20 million for cancer research.

Clark said the mini-relay has become so popular in Todd County that younger students can’t wait for their chance to participate.

“The high school students gain valuable experience in developing their leadership skills through organizing the mini-relay, and the younger students look up to them and see how everyone working together can make a difference,” said Roberta Cahill, Yankton Sioux member and American Cancer Society staff in Pierre, S.D. “The American Cancer Society likes to see people get healthy and stay healthy so they can reduce their risk for cancer and other chronic diseases.”

The funds raised by the children go toward cancer research, and are an investment in their future to see a world with less cancer and more birthdays.

There are many opportunities for youth to become involved in the American Cancer Society including: Colleges Against Cancer and High Schools Against Cancer – which form chapters at schools to promote cancer awareness through events like Relay For Life and activities year-round. To find out more about volunteering, contact the American Cancer Society at (800) 227-2345 or

Youth Power | SpeakBindas

Sunday Date 30-4-10Just utter their names – Mahendra Singh Dhoni, Priyanka Chopra, Leander Paes, Sania Mirza, Saina Nehwal, Abhinav Bindra and you get buoyed up. These are the names that invoke the indomitable human spirit, souls born to win whatever be the odds. And, indeed, there could be hundreds upon thousands of other unknown heroes and heroines who have left their imprints on the sands of time.
We owe the present to the daring though and action of the youth of yesteryears and the contours of the future will be drawn the way the youth today thinks and acts.Youth constitute about 34% of the total Indian population and it is the duty of the family, the society, the educational institutions, and the media and on top of all, the political leadership to mould them in such a way that the entire country becomes proud of them. Youth power can be neglected at our own peril. For youth can make or mar society. Their creative potential is as immense as their destructive potential. Guide them well right from mother’s lap to the corridors of the university, guiding them at every step, pulling them up every time they err, just with a smile and stick if required, and appreciating for what they are and sparing time and money for them. All this will go a long way in making them an invaluable young human capital for the present and the future. Aren’t we proud of our engineers, doctors, scientists, administrators, journalists, software professionals, nurses, sportspersons, film stars, models and lakhs of others from other disciplines who have made India young and vibrant? The educated youth working overseas as NRI’s or otherwise makes the rest of world proud of India. Thus youth properly guided and provided opportunities’ of growth can be catalyst for the all round growth of the nation. Conversely where misguided, unemployed or brainwashed, they can tear apart the society. You can’t find a heinous expression of youth gone astray than in the global phenomenon of violence. Many trace the roots of terrorism and youth violence to the growing unemployment and the alienation of youth from society. The youth might find a world of hypocrites around them, a world that preaches ethics, but indulges in all sorts of socially and ethically unacceptable human behavior. The dichotomy between precept and practice is too galling for them. As for the millions of youngsters, educated, semi-skilled and illiterate, nothing can be more demoralizing than the gnawing feeling that they are of no use to themselves, the family and the community. This is the crippling feeling nursed by the growing army of unemployed and underemployed in the country. Many struggle and struggle return crestfallen after seeing the ‘no vacant’ boards, many migrate to big cities and take up odd jobs for living, and a few lucky organize their own enterprises. But bulk of them is left high and dry. Frustration and alienation lead to drug abuse, drug peddling and to other anti-social activities. One might very well ask, are we doing enough for our youth? The answer could be yes and no. we have a separate department for youth and sports, but having the separate department doesn’t promise the youth all they need. The national youth policy is indeed a milestone in that the state has a vision of how to make youth contribute in a better way to make the nation strong. Talent lies abundant measure in our youth. What is required is tapping it the proper way. We have shown to the world that we have some of the best brains. Youngsters of different disciplines can be seen working in different parts of the world contributing their mite to the countries they reside in and bringing glory to the country from which they have migrated to. Let us do everything possible to tap the youth power in our country to make India more prosperous in every field.

How the youth will shape India The condition of our children and the values our youth will conduct their lives by, as they aspire to have more and get

Saturday day Date 29-4-10
MOTHERS matter. And children matter. Because they create our future. Therefore the recent report on the ‘State of the World’s Mothers’ by Save the Children, the international organisation, should concern those envisioning India’s future. India is 66th out of 71 developing countries in the Mothers’ Index ranking — a composite of healthcare, education, and economic status of mothers in these countries. And with over 53% of children in India under five years without basic healthcare facilities, the country also ranks very low, alongside Ghana and Eritrea, in childcare. Indians aspire for their country to be a large, rapidly growing economy, and also to be respected as a great nation. Therefore these numbers should be of immense concern because the condition of mothers and children is fundamental to realising those aspirations.

India, according to several economic forecasters, is on its way to becoming the third largest economy in the world by 2040. Recently a few Indians began to appear in the lists of the richest people in the world. Now Forbes, the international business magazine, projects that by 2017 India will have the most billionaires in the world! These could be signs that the economy is on its way to achieve its forecasted size. However, one wonders whether such spurts within the country’s economy are sustainable amidst the poverty around.

In India, 480 million are less than 19 years old. Economic forecasters have calculated the ‘demographic dividend’ for India’s economy — the boost it will receive from these young people’s incomes and savings in the next decades. In their math, well-fed and well-educated and under-nourished and uneducated children are the same. The math does not distinguish the girl with a baby in her arms begging at the street corner from the two kids driving by in an air-conditioned sedan oblivious of the other two in the heat and dust. These add up to four Indian children in economists’ estimates of the demographic dividend.

India has 20% of the world’s children: but it also has 40% of the world’s malnourished children. Since 45% of Indian children (a number higher than most African countries) are malnourished and likely to grow up with health issues later in life, and since over 50% of Indian children do not have an adequate education, a large proportion of Indian children are unlikely to be the productive assets they are presumed to be in those estimates.

According to several international commentators (amongst them Kishore Mahbubani in The New Asian Hemisphere and Bill Emmott in Rivals) India’s future greatness will arise not merely from its large economy, but mainly from the moral leadership that India, with its diversity and democracy, can provide. The world needs a new model in which relentless economic growth does not destroy the planet, and that also is more equitable and inclusive. They expect India’s path to be different to China’s and hope it will be a good example.

While singling out India as a potential role model for a great society, these observers invariably point to the values that Mahatma Gandhi lived by. Gandhi had asserted that the best test of any major decision is the benefit it would give to the poorest person one could think of. And he insisted that the ends never justify the means. Bad means, he said, would corrupt society. He was a great role model.

FOR example, though passionately committed to his goal to free India, he would not allow any violence to achieve it and even suspended the freedom movement when some of his followers turned violent. Moreover, amidst increasing concern with the impact China’s and India’s economic progress will have on the environment as they adopt the patterns of the west, Gandhi’s observation that nature has enough for all our needs but not enough for our greed has become prescient.

The type of society we want to be and the values we will live by must be essential facets of our vision for India. The size of our GDP, the numbers of billionaires we will produce, and the number of Indian MNCs in the Fortune100 list will not be enough. “Greed is good. Greed makes the economy grow”, said Gorton Gecko in the movie Wall Street. He tells an aspiring apprentice that the ends are what matters: get rich quick, no matter how, and no matter whom you hurt.

The young in India are aspiring to get ahead and make more money. Their drive will push the economy to grow. But, do they have compassion for those left behind? And cynically accepting corruption as a way of life, do they care about what rules they break in their drive to succeed? Gandhi, Gecko, and Guru — the hero of the Indian movie with that eponymous title — were all great achievers. And none of them made any bones about their values. Like Gecko, Guru also defended his corrupt practices at a shareholders meeting, because they produced wealth.

Who is the role model that Indian youth admire most — Gandhi, Guru, or Gecko? Whose values are they emulating? The answer to this question will deeply affect the type of society we will become in the next 25 years. Unlike health and education, statistics about our youth’s values are not available. Non-violent ‘Gandhigiri’ a la Munnabhai was merely a passing fashion. Whereas anecdotal evidence of increase in violence by young people against women and old people, of road rage, and other violent actions to get whatever they want is alarming. The values our youth will conduct their lives by, as they aspire to have more and get ahead, will determine what shape our country will be in 25 years.

Mother India is not in good shape. Nor are millions of young Indians. While the mantle of leadership into the future must pass on to youth, older citizens cannot abdicate responsibility for nurturing the bodies, minds, and especially values of children. Children are not merely resources for an economic machine. Saving children, especially girls, is saving humanity. It must be central to the agenda for the development of India in the next ten years.

Society cannot point a finger at them, without taking some of the blame

Friday Date 25-4-10
TWO OF the articles that appeared in the Open Page section on March 26 were concerned with today's youth. One (Mr. Dinesh Kumar) accused this generation of being evasive, irresponsible and irreparably obsessed with money. The other (Vidya Venkat) pleaded for the generation's inability, trapped as it is within today's society. I think the reality is somewhere between the two.

To Mr. Kumar, I would like to say: Sir, not all the members of my generation are money seeking hedonists. A friend of mine is currently touring remote villages in Maharashtra, working on health care projects. Another dissolved a consultancy he had set up with six years of hard work and effort, because he did not want to work for MNCs.

I know a person who after completing an architecture degree, forwent an opportunity to work on Gurgaon's shining malls, and chose to join the Institute of Rural Management. Another is in Sri Lanka — working in rehabilitation — under threat to her own life. For every batch of IIM that passes out, (some of them on salaries more than 1 lakh a month), there is a batch of social workers from TISS and IRMA (some of whom start their career on 1 lakh a year). And I could go on and on.

I concede that a majority of the youth today are extremely self-centred and detached from politics and society. But who is responsible for them? Can society wash its hands of its youth? All the young people mentioned in the earlier paragraph are engaged in socially relevant work, against all odds from society, and mostly against their parents' wishes. The key concern of Indian parents is that their children should `settle down' — which means getting a secure, well-paid job, or sometimes for girls, a rich husband. Parents coerce their kids to take up lucrative professions; I know quite a few who have refused to finance their children's education for anything other than stipulated courses.

Pat answers

Moving on from parents to recruiters, I do believe that interviewers are looking for pat answers; they are not looking for convictions, but conformity. If there exists a thriving business in coaching classes for interviews for everything from IIM or IAS entrances to lucrative jobs, the classes must be doing something right — they must be preparing the candidates for pat answers that the interviewers foolishly (or intelligently) lap up. Convictions do not land upon one; they are the result of a lot of soul-searching and experience, for which society provides the youth with neither the space nor the time. The youth are but a part of society, and they are but a symptom of what ails society.

But if I believe that society cannot point a finger at its youth, without taking some of the blame, I also believe that the youth cannot blame everything on their parents, society, and the world at large.

Vidya, all the youth I know who are working to make a difference in society are doing it on their own initiative, with little support from elsewhere. Social pressures are as old as society itself. The youth of every generation have been subjected to social pressure. Some more than others. But they refused to buckle under it, and followed their convictions, and so must the youth of today.

The road less travelled has never been easy, and will never be. We cannot absolve ourselves, and expect the underprivileged to raise their voices by themselves; they are no less or no more bound by society than the youth are. If social change has to take place, everyone must stop pointing fingers at others, and do their little bit, and so must the youth.

Having spent a year at an international university, I sincerely believe that the Indian students are more intelligent, more socially aware, and importantly, more idealistic than many others. Callous, money-minded many of the youth of today might be and yet it is to this generation that India must look to for its future leaders.

Effect Of Western Culture On Indian Youth

Thursday, April 22, 2010

How there is head and tail for a coin, there is both positive and negative impact of western culture on India and especially on Indian youth,

In past in India men were our traditional dresses, but now it is entirely changed, now the Indian youth moving with jeans, t-shirts, minis, micros, etc., here we can proud of that western culture, it bringing us with the fast moving world.

But when we consider the pubs, it is the thing to be strictly punished. In pubs both men and women are in drastic stage, by taking drugs, it should be punished. And we need to felt sorry for that.

And there r many things to be taken from the western culture.

I Strongly believe that there is a substantial influence of western culture on Indian youths. Mere mention of the word 'India' signifies a place of cultural heritage as well as diversity. But the cultural legacy that we are showing to the whole world is becoming a thing of history in metropolitan cities.

On one side we enjoy our so-called rich culture and really admire it but on the other side we find discotheques full of young guys and girls. Secondly, Joint family tradition; one of the biggest assets of India is now vanishing under the shadow of the so-called western culture. Nuclear families are taking place of many years' old values. Youth of today is more interested in their privacy rather than enjoying their lives with others. Individualization has broken up the joint family system, paving way for the youth to fall prey to drug addiction. This stage is the most vulnerable period of life where the youth need guidance, counseling, education and care by parents.

So how did we get part of their culture over here, you ask, their culture has become over popularized here, through electronic media that everyone wants to be just like them. Because of that India has lost her identity from all other countries. We’ve now become a copy – cat to all other nations and we may lose our individuality. The reason is because, we want another image, we don’t want to be the olden – day - traditional country, which still hasn’t become the so - called ‘modern’, even in the 21st century. We don’t want to look like imposters to all other well – developed countries. If you have ever thought of that, erase that thought because the image we’ve got planted in our minds is terribly wrong. India is not an imposter to other nations, it never has been, but will if the people of today continue to do everything they see on cable TV.

India is an independent country now and has been for a while, with no such problems. The reason behind that is because our ancestors fought for us, so that we could have a future in our own way, not with any other way, which we are not used to. I’m not saying that India should stop everything they’ve learnt from western countries, but to have some individuality from other nations and to set an example to the other 3rd world countries and give out the message that there are other nations to set an example on.

So, for the people who fought for us, for India to keep her dignity and to be a leader to other countries, we the people of today must be our own country and not be some other country, which we’re not. Everyone is his or her own countryman - why can’t we be our own as well?

what youth in India likes @ Music (view of Barkha, 19 years)

letz talk abt music....... m not here to preach you or for sum lecture n ol......m here to tell u wat i thnk abt music... Well when I think ‘What youngsters like’, I guess they mostly prefer rock, heavy metal and pop. When we look closely, we realize that all these songs have got very high tempo and high beats too. The fact that we youngsters react very fast has got a psychological side also. We lose our temper very fast, hmm, might be just to bring out our hidden emotions . Now I think they need a source n music is always our language of emotions. So no wonder it’s made to bring our temper down and in a way in these beats, we express all that……….In the same way if u ever notice while you are walking in a Levis store, they always play slow english songs which may be for 2 reasons-1 Youngsters are more into Hollywood, it’s a sort of fad for them.. 2 Slow songs make u calm down, they make u feel good about everything and u get into a nice mood and u shop more coz your mood swings affect even your shopping also. In fact some brands prefer rock music also because the young fleshy blood gets involved in music n in that funny and excited mood customers will shop a lot. I don’t know whether you guys noticed or not but music affects your life so much n even reflects your personality ……. I know may be on few points you guys might think that, m just a little gal, but plz guys try to notice the effect of your personality or surrounding on the kind of music you wanna tune to……..so open your eyes n ears ….. Because music is part of your personality……Dat was about music Ohk thatz it ……. It was kind of bookish thing, letz talk practically about your daily life.But still I got a question why u guys don’t listen to Hindi songs? I mean its kinda strange that we don’t listen to hindi songs though v r Indians.I will tell u an incident…….a fest was organized in my college, a young guy came on the stage, he was like correcting mistakes of people in English which he noticed in whole day, sort of pronunciation problem ……. In the end he said sorry guys I don’t know Hindi that much…….. nd the same thing happened in antakshri. People were like, ask English songs -we are not so much into bollywood……….Now I got a question why……? Why we do it, in fact in abroad you can find Punjabi music in pubs and all…… thats kind of strange…. It’s like common guys give me the answer…….. I know it would be like I am also a youngster why I am pointing finger on you…… so here is your answer I don’t believe in carpeting whole world, instead of that I will prefer covering ma feet…… today Hindi n Hindi songs are like shameful thing for us….. Tell me guys how many people got ultra modern parents like wen ur mom wore jeans n mini and your father talked about your girl friends…… I guess answer is literally 20% or 40%. Still our parents wake up in morning take bath n bow their head in front of god and worship….. Still when u borrow new car, we make that swastika sign on it …….. Am I correct…….. That it also very orthodox thing ……. But we never thought of keeping your parents out of your life I mean when you are 18 have you ever thought about leaving your parents n walking out alone on your own just because u feel ashamed because your mom wears sari and your dad don’t ask you “hey dude how is life how many lecture you bunked yesterday…….?” Answer is no never. Why don’t we think ……… so guys tell me how can you ignore your mother language or feel ashamed about it…… at least don’t b partial with songs. I accept that in studies you r under pressure coz u gotta find a job and people with good communication in English are alwz sought after…….. But no one asks about music ………. Now u don got any excuse….atlst give it a try yaar..... listen sumhindi songs....... atlst step up.......start from music ........itz not bad ...... but itz jst dat u alrdy got dis in mind dat hindi music is bad n rsn is itz in hindi.......... but u knw what music don got ny language..... it got ur emotion datz it..........so give it a try.........
Barkha Jhirwal (19 years)
About me- believe in reality, helping others and keep smiling
Crazy about- Punjab, MA MOM and ma friends
Likes- books, outing, adventures, partying n spl spending time with frandz.

trend vs. tradition @ India

How well balanced Indian youth are upon tradition and trends? It’s a festival day, at least today go to the temple!!! A typical mother’s dialogue. This generation kids have no discipline!!! A 70 yr old grand dad’s regular saying!!! There are many more criticisms like this that the Indian youth today, gets to hear on a day to day basis. But does this mean that we do not believe in god?? Or is it true that we youngsters do not know or follow discipline??? It’s just that with time the portrayal of things have changed. There are so many examples that can be quoted over this conversation. Let’s start of with temples as such. There is always complains that we are not visiting temples or enchanting slokas or even lighting a diya at home. Agreed we youth today do not go the temples regularly or sit enchant slokas. In fact I should say we go to temples very rarely. But let’s remind them, we do not live in the 12th century. We live in an era where technology is really sound. We have brought the temples down to our laptop screens and mobile screens, where they are more than idols. We don keep ourselves restricted to the temple timing. We believe in God, hence we also believe in staying connected with Him anytime and anywhere. And devotion towards God needn’t be expressed only through slokas and bhajans. True faith from the bottom of the heart is true devotion and it is the language that He best understands too. We do believe the positive vibes given by these slokas and bhajans and that’s why we have them downloaded in our computers, laptops and mobile and hear to them on pressing a button. We have not forgotten our Almighty but our approach towards him has changed and the display of him is also changed. Not necessary that we have to sit in Madam M.S.Subbulakshmi’s or Ms. Sudha Raghunathan’s show to understand devotional discipline. Or why do even we have to do that when we have their voices recorded in our ipods. Devotional discipline doesn’t arise by sitting on a chair for three full hours, listening to someone sing. Hip-hop, rap, rock, etc. are in vogue. Like how carnatic music is our culture, hip-hop is the culture for another country, rock for another. We respect the culture of every country and make an effort to understand rather than calling them stupidity or non-sense. We don’t listen only to head-banging music but we also enjoy the melody of our country. To sum up this in simple terms, we are moving towards globalization. Devotional discipline is a part of the mannerism and discipline. Today we youths of the country are blamed saying we are ill-mannered kids with no discipline. We do not say Namaste; we do not pay respect by touching the elderly foot. I am actually a live example for this. A couple of months back I had been to my native place along with my mother, aunt, brothers and sister. As soon as we got into the house, the first thing my mother and aunt did was paying respect to the elders at home by touching their feet. We were out meeting our cousins. My mother walks up to me and says, “You children of this age have no proper mannerism. Shouldn’t you touch the elders feet when you meet them?”. We did meet the elders and greet them; we do not think you got to say your ‘namaste’ by touching your feet. The picture beside teaches us what Namaste means. We believe in it, that’s why we greet them with the word Namaste, probably in different slangs for different languages. If this tried explaining to the elders then they call it an unnecessary argument. We know our tradition and culture but we live it our way and let us live it our way. They do not talk about discipline only in terms of actions, but also in terms of eating!!!! Guys isn’t ‘gol gappa’ a country food??? Eating them is also a crime now. To be honest, there are a lot of good restaurants that make chaat items for us. But the most preferred is the road side ones, because they are much tastier. Gol gappas are in vogue today. In fact on an average any youth would be eating gol gappas once in every two days. For pizzas, on an average a youth would eat it thrice every month. To add fuel to the fire, there is a regular complain that we do not eat on time and we eat a lot of junk food. This is ‘not being disciplined’ in terms of many elders today. Why??? Only dhal, roti, sabjji and rice are not food. These are also food items. I wouldn’t call them junk food as they are the staple food for some parts of the country or of a different country. We are adopting ourselves to different cultures, i.e. we are walking towards globalization. At the same time we do know what are staple food is and do make it a point to eat them too for our body metabolism to function normally. But the situation should also be understood right?? We do not live in their era, where they either use to sit at home 24X7 or carry a bag full of food where ever they go. Today the world is very competitive and is moving very fast. We got to stay in pace with it. To stay n pace with it, we got to do certain things like this, which becomes a part of the discipline note for the this generation. We know our tradition, that’s why the country still exists. What the previous generation called discipline belief or superstition; we try and understand it with science. What was accepted by them blindly yesterday, are being reasoned out by us today!!!! Probably that’s why we youth are neither here nor there. We try and follow our tradition, yet end up being a little trendy!!! It’s like we are the cats on the wall because the gray hair today do not understand what we go through!!! Wake up elders!!! Understand our feeling!!! Live an yet live!!!

The Ministry of Labour recently issued a notification

The Ministry of Labour recently issued a notification banning children below 14 from working in residences and the hospitality sector. After agriculture, these areas are where children are employed in the highest numbers, and it is hoped that prohibiting their employment in homes and at waiting tables will address a large lacuna in the current laws against employing children. The prohibition was brought into force by adding these areas in the list of hazardous occupations, where child labour is already prohibited. The ban has been imposed under the Child Labour (Prohibition & Regulation) Act, 1986 and will be effective from 10th October 2006.

The national child rights organisation Child Rights and You (CRY) has welcomed the Ministry's recent notification but feels it is an insufficient response. Many gaps still remain in the legal provisions against child labour, and even the ones already in existance cannot be effective without proper enforcement and rehabilitation provisions. Moreover, the group has pointed out that while this notification has been necessary, it is at best another in a long line of piecemeal efforts. For real change to occur the root causes of child labour have to be addressed – causes like the lack of a coherent education policy, insufficient schools, poverty, marginalization, migration etc - situations that force children into work.

In our press release, we observed that 27 years of CRY's work with 2,500 marginalised communities across 20 states across India has shown that the piece-meal, scheme-based, relief-oriented approach adopted by both governmental and NGOs has limited impact and practically no sustainability. This is because they fail to address the underlying causes of deprivation. Causes related to gender, caste, ethnicity, religion and class keep over 100 million Indian children hungry, unschooled and vulnerable to the worst forms of abuse and exploitation imaginable. Instead, irreversible change is only possible when children, parents, community groups and local government come together to identify, address and resolve the issues that constrain children.

This broader demand apart, even within the notification's limited ambit, CRY has noted significant gaps:

• The prohibition is restricted to servants at home, hotels, dhabas and other recreation centres. It is not clear whether this applies to the household manufacturing sector, where a vast number of children are employed in similar working conditions.

• The conviction rate for the already existing Child Labour (Prohibition & Regulation) Act, 1986 is abysmally low - so low, in fact, that it is hardly a deterrent for employers. Without strengthening both enforcement mechanisms and provisions for rehabilitation, making additions to the list of prohibited employments for children has little meaning.

• The notification is premised on the belief that that child labour needs to be prohibited in hazardous occupations only, but does not take a clear view of what children ought to be doing in their childhood - learning in safe and meaningful schools. An insular notofication of this sort totally ignores children's right to safe and facilitating environment for development, including health, nutrition and education needs.

  It is also noteworthy that the government's notification is incongruent with another related issue pending before it - namely, ensuring the fundamental right to education. Legislation enabling this right to education is yet to be passed in Parliament, which raises the question - if children are to be stopped from working so that they may attend schools instead, why is there such a lack of poitical will in securing the right to education?

  CRY believes, for this reason, that the notification on child labour has to be seen in this light - more than protecting children from hazardous employment, the government may be trying to ward off a Supreme Court decision banning all forms of child labour. The Court has already asked the States for their views on why child labour should not be entirely abolished. Its query to the state governments may have prompted this limited response from the executive.

  Clearly, the journey is far from complete. The National Sample Survey 2000, reported 16.4 million Indian children aged 5-14 years were 'engaged in economic activities and domestic or non-remunerative work'. Another 46 million children of school-going age are unaccounted for, neither enrolled in school nor officially working. Giving India at least one reason to be #1 — home to the largest number of child labourers on the plane

  
  

Educated youth: The change agent in Indian politics

Saturday, April 24, 2010
The kind of fractious political environment that our disputatious leadership has created over the years in itself has become the biggest deterrent for any educated and equitably honest youth to take politics up as a scrupulously dignified career. In fact, over the years, the entire trenchant political environment has been constructed in such a discordant manner that it has managed to keep young, potently dedicated and benevolent youth away from it. If that is not the case, then how does one justify that almost 25 per cent of our Parliamentarians have criminal backgrounds!

Historically, though, this was not the case. Not that it was any better ever, but in the 1950s, the average age of Rajya Sabha members was around 50, which shot up to 59 by the turn of the century. And I’m sure by 2009 it would have gone up by a few more months. Similarly, the average age of the 13th Lok Sabha has been around 55 years! Here again, the average age has been on a constant rise. The average age during the first Lok Sabha was 46 years. The matter of fact is that Indian democracy has invariably posed a classical dichotomy with respect to Indian demographics. A nation wherein more than 70 per cent of the population is less than 40 years has a Parliament which houses 80 per cent of its politicians over the age of 70! Probably no other nation reflects such a stark irony – for example in the United Kingdom, there were only two Prime Ministers (Winston Churchill and James Callaghan) who crossed 70 while holding their office! But then it would be wrong to state that Indian Parliament is completely bereft of youth. In the 14th Lok Sabha, some 36 young debutant MPs got elected and bettered the average age factor for the Lok Sabha.

Had these 36 young MPs not been elected this time, I’m sure Lok Sabha would have been declared dead, statistically, as the average mortality rate of Indians is 64. But then, other than lowering the average age of the Lok Sabha, the young MPs did hardly anything to bring in any noteworthy political change for the people of this nation. And this ought to happen, for most of the young MPs who made it through had a political legacy behind them. And that is the reason, as per a PRS India report, that young MPs hardly participated in the Lok Sabha proceedings. Whereas on the other extreme, MPs above 70 years, accounting for 10 per cent of the House, participated in 10 per cent of total debates. The report also states that the average attendance of MPs in the 25-40 years age group, which was at 70 per cent, was the lowest. What’s even more unfortunate is that during the Budget Session, which lasts for 28 days and is of national imperative, the average attendance of the very same young MPs was a mere 62 per cent.

Though as a nation we might have succeeded in electing a few youths in the Parliament, it has been an act of mere tokenism. For neither do they seem to possess any zealously rousing vision, nor do they presumably poss any precipitously striking leadership skills, which is pretty evident from their spiritless attendance and incurious participation.
In fact, with the election having been declared and with almost all political parties creating all kind of noise about educated youth getting into mainstream politics, particularly post 26/11, I do not contemplate much to happen. At best, a few political parties might succeed in getting a few youth elected; but then that’s it. The delinquent problem lies in the fact that it is prohibitively impossible for any educated and erudite youth with the right vision and leadership skills to contest an election independently. For not only does it require considerable money, but on top of that, if someone has to get any closer to winning, then one has to necessarily be a part of existing political ideologies.
The real catalytic change can happen only when political parties in power have a pre-potently dynamic youth oriented perspective. They need to not just invigoratingly encourage educated youth to participate but they need to have a systematic selection and funding process. It is only then that there would be a true vitalising transformation in the political system that would pave a path for a fundamentally strong and prosperously efficacious democracy.

How the youth will shape India

The condition of our children and the values our youth will conduct their lives by, as they aspire to have more and get ahead, will determine what shape our country will be in 25 years

MOTHERS matter. And children matter. Because they create our future. Therefore the recent report on the ‘State of the World’s Mothers’ by Save the Children, the international organisation, should concern those envisioning India’s future. India is 66th out of 71 developing countries in the Mothers’ Index ranking — a composite of healthcare, education, and economic status of mothers in these countries. And with over 53% of children in India under five years without basic healthcare facilities, the country also ranks very low, alongside Ghana and Eritrea, in childcare. Indians aspire for their country to be a large, rapidly growing economy, and also to be respected as a great nation. Therefore these numbers should be of immense concern because the condition of mothers and children is fundamental to realising those aspirations.

India, according to several economic forecasters, is on its way to becoming the third largest economy in the world by 2040. Recently a few Indians began to appear in the lists of the richest people in the world. Now Forbes, the international business magazine, projects that by 2017 India will have the most billionaires in the world! These could be signs that the economy is on its way to achieve its forecasted size. However, one wonders whether such spurts within the country’s economy are sustainable amidst the poverty around.

In India, 480 million are less than 19 years old. Economic forecasters have calculated the ‘demographic dividend’ for India’s economy — the boost it will receive from these young people’s incomes and savings in the next decades. In their math, well-fed and well-educated and under-nourished and uneducated children are the same. The math does not distinguish the girl with a baby in her arms begging at the street corner from the two kids driving by in an air-conditioned sedan oblivious of the other two in the heat and dust. These add up to four Indian children in economists’ estimates of the demographic dividend.

India has 20% of the world’s children: but it also has 40% of the world’s malnourished children. Since 45% of Indian children (a number higher than most African countries) are malnourished and likely to grow up with health issues later in life, and since over 50% of Indian children do not have an adequate education, a large proportion of Indian children are unlikely to be the productive assets they are presumed to be in those estimates.

According to several international commentators (amongst them Kishore Mahbubani in The New Asian Hemisphere and Bill Emmott in Rivals) India’s future greatness will arise not merely from its large economy, but mainly from the moral leadership that India, with its diversity and democracy, can provide. The world needs a new model in which relentless economic growth does not destroy the planet, and that also is more equitable and inclusive. They expect India’s path to be different to China’s and hope it will be a good example.

While singling out India as a potential role model for a great society, these observers invariably point to the values that Mahatma Gandhi lived by. Gandhi had asserted that the best test of any major decision is the benefit it would give to the poorest person one could think of. And he insisted that the ends never justify the means. Bad means, he said, would corrupt society. He was a great role model.

FOR example, though passionately committed to his goal to free India, he would not allow any violence to achieve it and even suspended the freedom movement when some of his followers turned violent. Moreover, amidst increasing concern with the impact China’s and India’s economic progress will have on the environment as they adopt the patterns of the west, Gandhi’s observation that nature has enough for all our needs but not enough for our greed has become prescient.

The type of society we want to be and the values we will live by must be essential facets of our vision for India. The size of our GDP, the numbers of billionaires we will produce, and the number of Indian MNCs in the Fortune100 list will not be enough. “Greed is good. Greed makes the economy grow”, said Gorton Gecko in the movie Wall Street. He tells an aspiring apprentice that the ends are what matters: get rich quick, no matter how, and no matter whom you hurt.

The young in India are aspiring to get ahead and make more money. Their drive will push the economy to grow. But, do they have compassion for those left behind? And cynically accepting corruption as a way of life, do they care about what rules they break in their drive to succeed? Gandhi, Gecko, and Guru — the hero of the Indian movie with that eponymous title — were all great achievers. And none of them made any bones about their values. Like Gecko, Guru also defended his corrupt practices at a shareholders meeting, because they produced wealth.

Who is the role model that Indian youth admire most — Gandhi, Guru, or Gecko? Whose values are they emulating? The answer to this question will deeply affect the type of society we will become in the next 25 years. Unlike health and education, statistics about our youth’s values are not available. Non-violent ‘Gandhigiri’ a la Munnabhai was merely a passing fashion. Whereas anecdotal evidence of increase in violence by young people against women and old people, of road rage, and other violent actions to get whatever they want is alarming. The values our youth will conduct their lives by, as they aspire to have more and get ahead, will determine what shape our country will be in 25 years.

Mother India is not in good shape. Nor are millions of young Indians. While the mantle of leadership into the future must pass on to youth, older citizens cannot abdicate responsibility for nurturing the bodies, minds, and especially values of children. Children are not merely resources for an economic machine. Saving children, especially girls, is saving humanity. It must be central to the agenda for the development of India in the next ten years.

Indian youth get their knowledge of sex mostly from friends, porno films and “self-reading”

Plenty of discussion has been generated on whether sex education is necessary in schools or not, and it appears as if the majority of state governments are against it. Well, this Kamasutra sex survey which was undertaken as recently as 2005 says that the majority of youth today acquire their knowledge about sex “primarily through ‘Self reading’, ‘Friends’ and ‘Blue films’ rather than through parents, qualified sex educators and professional help.”

And worse, as many as 26 per cent of the respondents admitted that they rarely or never use condoms. Their preferred use of contraception was “pills” or “partner’s sterilization.” In many cases then the onus of preventing pregnancy lies with the female.

These are the kind of statistics that our “moral police” (who are none other than hard line political parties) should look at. They have a constituency after all. They should know that the majority (75%) of the respondents felt that “formal sex education should be given in school,” and about half of them felt that sex education should also be provided by “a parent of the same sex.”

This survey was essentially an urban one, and the majority of the respondents belong to Delhi, Mumbai & Bangalore. These are people who are ostensibly more educated and I guess not the kind of group that political parties are interested in.

All these respondents were young, mostly in the age group of ‘18 – 30’. Approximately half were unmarried and were from nuclear families. About a quarter of the respondents earned between ‘Rs. 1 lakh to Rs. 3 lakh’ per annum.

Some interesting statistics on attitudes towards pre-marital sex:

1. About a third of the respondents in the age group of ‘above 31 years’ had had pre – marital sex with their spouse.
2. 27 per cent of marrieds had had pre-marital sex with more than 5 individuals.
3. 77 percent of all respondents agreed that “Pre-marital sex causes Guilt/emotional disturbance, if one does not ultimately have the same life partner”.
4. 66 per cent of respondents agreed that ‘These days pre-marital sex is acceptable “
5. 29 per cent of respondents did not think that “films and TV encourages pre-marital sex.”

About Marriage, it was ironic that while most respondents believed in “trust and sexual integrity” as being essential in a marraige, a good 35 per cent of the marrieds admitted that were currently involved with someone else!

Clearly, we are not as prudish a society as we would like to imagine. Everything happens, but it only happens behind closed doors. That is perhaps why the moral police makes such a big deal about everything. It would be interesting to delve into their personal lives to see how “pure” a life they lead.

Boy Scout Moms

Not a Den Mother but a Scout Leader

In the 1970s, women were slowly gaining recognition, training and representation on the Cub Scouting level. In 1974, Catherine N. Pollard of Connecticut filed a state level discrimination complaint against the BSA, because they refused to let her register as Scoutmaster for her troop, a leadership position she had filled for three years. Female Scoutmasters are still in the minority, but ever more women hold positions on the committees that run scouting. Merit Badge Counselors, Treasurers and Advancement chairpersons are frequently female. Females are teaching training sessions, running the monthly Scouter meetings called Roundtables and doing a variety of other important jobs for BSA.

There was a time when females could not earn Scouting’s highest awards or hold jobs as Scout Executives. Those days are a faint memory now. Scout Executives are full time employees of BSA who administer the daily business of the national, regional, council and district levels of the organization“Boys will be boys” is an old saying and one frequently heard in Scouting circles. Men understand in ways that women can’t what it means to be a boy and to survive the process of becoming a man. It is important for boys to have that experience and to have men as role models. It is less certain, but anecdotally true, that women in the neighborhood of boys being boys will bring a different point of view.

A case in point: where there are rocks on the ground, boys will pick them up and throw them. This is a universal truth that every mother knows and watches for. A group of men with a troop camping out found themselves dealing with a boy who needed stitches after the universal truth came to pass. There were no female leaders on said campout.

No one can prove it wouldn’t have happened if a female leader had been present. The point is this, at the next committee meeting, the discussion was not about what could be done to prevent the recurrence; it was about boys being boys. Female Scouters present in the room were appalled.

The real world contains not just males, but also females. It behooves young men to learn to deal with the different world view of women. It is no longer true that their future boss will definitely be a male. It is no longer true that all their college professors will be male. It is still true that most of them will date or marry a female and interaction with females on a daily basis is an absolute certainty.

The oldest of male Scouters still see the advent of women in the Scout troops as unnecessary, even intrusive. Discrimination against women in the BSA has gone underground and it is not generally a public topic of discussion. Female Scouters find varying degrees of acceptance depending on the troop or even the area of the country in which they find themselves.

It would be difficult to run the BSA without women now. Camping and hiking are not activities that only men enjoy, but women frequently know as much as or more than their male counterparts. Modern families often have no male in residence at a home. Families with two parents with both working struggle to find the time to volunteer with the Scouts.

It is difficult enough to fill the volunteer needs of the organization without eliminating 51% of the available adults. Women add a new dimension to Scouting. Now if only the sisters and daughters could participate, the whole organization might find itself in the twenty-first century.