youth paper

8/6/2019 Youth Paper

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Youth is a relative term. Some believe it to be youth of the mind, others consider youth of the

body. Before we can effectively analyze youth, we must define it. The United Nations defines youth as

individuals between the ages of 15-25. Assuming all other forms of youth are not considered in the

scope of analysis of this paper, we will accept the globally selected definition provided by the United

Nations. In the India of today, there are several factors that influence youth. One of the most relevant

that has come to surface in recent times is the identification of Indian youth with what we generically

refer to as cultural heritage. We define cultural heritage, specific to India, as a noted interest in

ancient classical arts such as carnatic/Hindustani music, classical dance and other cultural social norms.

The most fascinating aspect of this identification is that the modern framework of Indian culture that

has presented the dichotomy of traditional and modern. This claim to traditionalism existed in the

generation above todays youth, but not to the extent of intensity that can be seen in present times. It is

an advent of two main factors. First, the evolution of the necessity for the claim to traditionalism was

primarily after the rise of right wing politics in the 1990s.Second, the pre-conceived notion of cultural

heritage as a thing of the past, has prevented several youngsters from keeping alive those traditions.

Youngsters didnt feel the need to claim traditions fiercely one generation ago. One member of

the generation above todays current youth stated Our l ives were taken for granted and cultural

heritage was interwoven to the extent where it wasnt an effort. It was an accepted way of life.

(Chandrasekar) This intensification of traditional culture was an aftermath of right wing political

parties such as the BJP. The consolidated BJP was formulated only in the year 1980 (BJP website) and

really became active in the mid 90s. Around this time, there were several criticisms of how current

India wasnt Indian enough and hence this brought about the change that was intended to be a

renaissance. Right wing political leaders believed that it was their responsibility to restore cultural roots

and remind society of their conservative origins. This especially intensified from 1995-1999, when the

Shiv Sena, an extremely right wing Maharastrian political group allied with the BJP in governance. There



are several other instances of right wing parties making a presence in government- whatever the

specifics may be, an overall change in the populational attitudes contributed to the necessity to claim

ownership of culture and country. The second factor contributing to the wave of possessive culture was

the Information Technology Industry boom. The job opportunities for young IT professionals in India

often permitted them visits to countries in the west, like the United States of America and the United

Kingdom. These visits raised overall awareness in the population by providing exposure that they had

never received before. Living in a foreign country for this generation was not a big deal at all, yet if we

look to the generation just before them, going abroad was almost considered a one way lottery ticket.

This exposure lead to an increased need for western goods, habits and fashion- and this was precisely

when the right wing politicians started squirming in their seats, uncomfortable at the thought of losing

thousands of years of culture and tradition, just for a few years of economic impetus in the global rat

race. Hence, this renaissance-like movement was developed in a primitive way- and the separation was

defined. Soon young IT professionals and other young people exposed to Indian culture were fiercely

defending their Indianness. Deep involvement in culture and religion was questioned, and youth at

this time started to pick sides. There were clearly a majority that stood half-way in-between this secular

modernism and orthodox traditional culture, yet many decided that they could only live their lives in

one way. This led to the inevitable value judgment which still exists today. Often times, the cultural

framework is criticized yet diligently adhered to. Even today in the so-called Indian arranged marriage

market, one of the selling points of potential brides and grooms is their balance between traditional

and modern life. These sections of culture originated in simple places like the office corridors of an IT

company in the mid-1990s where young girls would wear short skirts in a formal setup instead of

sarees. Change has never been well-accepted, and this was no exception. Right-wing politicians

struggled to justify their views. Modern, western secularism had already seeped into the bulk mentality

of the populace. The association of youth to these specific cultural origins truly takes us back to the era



in which there was no choice as lifestyle was one and the same. Perhaps movies influenced the western-

geared behavior of this youth, yet young people struggle in todays society to defend their connection

with cultural heritage. This claim to ethnicity has worked two-fold. First, it has modernized the way we

look at tradition, and it has traditionalized the way we look at modern. Young people today rarely have

time for cultural activities, yet their need to reclaim this culture still exists, so they do so without fail.

Whether it is Holi, Diwali or any other non-Hindu religious holiday, the ceremony is given fairly less

importance to, as the celebration overshadows. Poojas and other ceremonies are shortened for time,

and strict religious customs are rarely practiced to a degree that interferes with professional life. This

modernization of the practice of religion is the aftermath of a globalized workforce, and it is surely a

new perspective that India hasnt seen before. On the other hand, in the traditional view of the modern,

we see other aspects of societal living that have been brought to light. Due to the fast-paced, globalizing

jobs, the workforce experiences a higher level of stress. To combat this stress, we can observe a greater

amount of youth participating in ancient sciences like yoga and ayurveda- following the similarly

westernized fitness movement of Indian youth. This is actually modern life being viewed through the

lens of tradition, as these ancient sciences are commoditized and reversed to allow people solutions to

their daily stresses. The marketing and promotion of these ancient sciences was not nearly as rampant

earlier, due to the lack of resources and awareness. This participation in commoditized ancient sciences,

also deludes certain members of todays youth into their claim over tradition. Essentially, todays youth

fight in the struggle to prove their roots, yet they embrace modernity and westernization as if a fish

were jumping into water.

Secondly, we look to youngsters having preconceived notions of tradition and arts. Out of the

modern-day college population, covered under our umbrella definition of youth, we can comfortably

predict that less than half of them actually practice any classical art to a level of proficiency. The

introduction of MTV in the Indian market created a market set-point of entertainment, claiming



gorgeous beauties and foot-tapping club music as the cultural norms for Indian youth. Rarely are

classical arts covered in media, let alone practiced within the home. There is an archaic stereotype that

accompanies classical fine arts. According to a survey conducted at Mount Carmel College

(Autonomous), several girls described classical music as slow and boring, where the music of choice

was rock or hip hop. Out of a class of thirty-two, less than 25% of girls were actively exposed to classical

arts, and of these exposed girls, an even fewer number actually practices. In a broader sense, at IIT

Bombays Mood Indigo 2009 college fest, of all of the professional shows, classical nite experienced the

least amount of turnover. Mood Indigo is reputed for being the largest college fest in Asia, yet youth

werent as interested in classical culture. This claim is furthered by surveying the amount of high quality

classical dance teams in colleges across the country. After the introduction of trendier, western dance,

the classical dances have lost popularity amongst youth. Youth are more likely to learn hip hop or

movie dancing says Usha Ravindrananth, a reputed dancer from Mysore, In a way, this is good

because only passionate students come to learn [classical] dance. But I find that even today, many girls

are pressured into [classical] dance by their families. So the question lingers is it necessary for youth

to be associated with classical arts? The answer is a matter of opinion. Some scholars claim that with the

waning numbers of youngsters that practice their heritage, these ancient art forms- most of which have

been passed down through the gurukul style of teaching- will just fade away. Others claim that if these

art forms have survived for over three thousand years through all types of turmoil, they will continue to

live on. But we still pose the question: Why is there a noted lack of enthusiasm in classical arts

demonstrated by todays youth? After westernization seeped through the popular culture of India, there

emerged misconceptions about globalization. Why did the nation strive to be globalized? Was

globalization being used as a tool to implement western culture in an otherwise traditional society?

There is a noted trend beginning in the mid 1990s that was born out of the IT boom- Indian youth took

pride in being western as it made them feel more globalized, rather than being Indian. From the rise



of McDonalds and Pizza Hut to foreign brands in India such as Nike and Reebok, youth strive to be as

western as possible. It wasnt as exotic to eat roadside chat instead of a burger, nor was it trendy to don

a kurtha from a small shop. Obviously the majority of the population still does these things, but the

small percentage who affected change were colloquially known as wanna-bes.Granted chat and

kurthas dont define Indiannes, but both have been an integral part of social culture for a long time. It is

this lack of identification with heritage that expedited the decrease in the youth participants of classical

arts.

The question still stands- have youth been ushered into believing the dichotomy existing in our

cultural framework is relevant to them? We may never know. On the other side of this coin, many

members of Indian youth today are actively involved in classical arts and achieve excellence in cultural

hubs like Chennai. These dancers and musicians will surely keep ancient traditions alive, but the fading

number of children getting involved is concerning prominent teachers and scholars all over India. Youth

claims tradition as their own, and many (like the ones surveyed at MCC) claim that there are better

political, social and economic ways of expressing Indianness, rather than through identification with

cultural heritage. So whats the bottom line? Youth identify with culture in different ways than the

generation before them. Some members of youth participate in forms of culture for namesake- just to

prove to right-wing society that they are indeed as traditional as anyone else. Others, more focused on

globalization/westernization dont believe in the conventional definition of Indian culture. Whatever the

philosophy, Youth are affecting the way in which India is presented to the outside world, and heritage or

not, they will be cultural ambassadors to their nation by default. Hopefully, they will be able to handle

this responsibility with dignity, grace and a proper understanding of Indian roots.

youth paper

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