Getting your Hands Dirty

Politics in the eyes of the average Indian youth is a dirty term. Today, it has almost become synonymous with corruption. The consensus among the youth today is ‘All politicians are corrupt’ (and in some cases immoral criminals.) While this is not entirely true, none of our leaders are people who evoke respect. Wait! Did I just use the word ‘leaders’?

This is what we are lacking most in our democracy- leaders, who can be followed, who can be emulated and who have a vision for the nation. A population of over 600 million under the age of 25 and no leaders to guide us.

The General Elections or more precisely ‘The Great Indian Political Drama’ is just around the corner. How can we contribute towards it? The obvious answer is to make it a point to go out and VOTE. This is not a right, it’s a duty. If you do not vote, you hardly have any right to question or criticize the government. Moreover, it is perhaps more important to vote the right people to power. For long, people of our country have voted for parties. This must change. We must vote for the most able candidates to represent us, irrespective of which party they belong to. A leader dedicated to the welfare of the people of his constituency will work well regardless of the party he is affiliated to. On the other hand, an incapable politician can bring about no progress even if he belongs to the most powerful party.

On a different note, in subsequent years, what we need most is greater participation of the youth in the running of the country. Thousands of bright, young people graduate from the premier institutes of the nation. How many of them play an active role in running the country? The fact is nobody wants to get their hands “dirty”. Take the case of the hundreds of MBA graduates from the elite IIMs. Some of the best minds in the country, no doubt, and yet they are employed to ‘sell shampoo sachets’.

It is time we, the youth of the nation, take up the baton for running the country. The so-called “stalwarts” of Indian politics have done their job and need a rest. It is up to us to bring about change, to iron out the flaws and take India to the heights it deserves. It is time we ‘be the change we want to see’.

A few of Life’s Lessons Learnt

The last week or so has taught me a few things. Hopefully, I shall not forget them later on. In addition, I have also learnt a few things about me, which I need to rectify or work upon.

•  Do not have expectations from anybody. The more you expect from somebody, the more you are likely to be disappointed. This includes whoever you call your best friends. Perhaps the only people whom you can expect things from are your parents, offsprings and spouse/lover.

• Money is important in life, even if it isn’t everything. While it’s true that money isn’t everything, lack of it will bring unnecessary worries. Taking debts is not desirable. You sort of become obliged to the other person. That’s a bad situation to be in.

• Be more caring of people around you (especially when they are in trouble or are sick). If you care for someone, you need to show it. Outward show of concern is important even if you are not going to be of any particular help to the other person. Go meet them and say words of sympathy. Otherwise, they will think you do not care about them. 

•            Stop being jealous of every Tom, Dick and Harry.  What someone else has done or achieved is his/her accomplishment. Congratulate them and move on. Don’t brood over “Why didn’t I do it?”; “Why is life so unfair?”; “Is he/she really better than me?”

      Instead, concentrate on what you can do, what you can achieve and what you are good at.

•         Communicate what you feel. If you have something on your mind, speak it out. You cannot expect the other person to understand you by just looking at your face. If you can’t say it, just stop thinking about it; it is just a waste of time.