Youth in the Globalised World: An Indian Perspective

Youth in the Globalised World: An Indian Perspective
Roselle Figueiredo

Introduction:

Who are the youth today? They are those who are within the 15 to 30 years old age group and who will live in this world for another 40 to 60 years. They are preparing themselves to cope with various challenges posed by those who control and run this world. They want love and justice, equality and freedom, peace and prosperity for all those who would like this world to be a better place to live. They believe in the maxim Live and Let Live! They like human community to live in harmony with each other, with nature and with God. They are ready to risk and make sacrifices, they are neither selfish nor self-centred, but would like to share and care for others. They are full of promises and hope!

Today's youth is both a victim as well as a saviour of the situation that is not their creation. Thus, they are in an advantageous position to right the wrongs of the previous generations. However, it may also be noted that the term youth would also require a re-definition and clarification. A sizable section of the youth today is succumbing to the pressures being built by the forces of globalisation, communalism, and militarisation. The consumerist, communalist, criminalized, and corrupt culture peddled by the global market forces in our country affects the changing character of youth. Then we have another section of youth who are victims of the system such as the dalits, adivasis, the ethnic and religious minorities, the landless, the jobless, the youth in unorganised sector, those who are not able to go to schools and colleges, etc.

Today:

We are faced with a situation where globalisation is denying even the bare minimum of gods gift to humankind. Much has been written and understood about globalisation, a process which started in India when the first ship of Vasco da-Gama landed in Calicut.

Globalisation is nothing else but transnational, which means the unfettered expansion of transnational corporations (TNCs) into the world economy, particularly, the economies of the developing countries. Multi-lateral organisations such as the World Trade Organisation (WTO), the International Monetary Fund (IMF), and the World Bank (WB) are playing key roles in this process. Integrating developing countries in the world economy is about the expansion of TNC activities to the developing world, on the TNC terms. The sweeping and far reaching changes are not confined to the economic sphere but extended to politics, social order, culture, day to day life of the people, and even affecting food habits. The new order is beneficial to a select few, but disastrous to the large masses of people. Globalisation has thus been termed as neo-colonialism or neo-imperialism.

In India, it is one single foreign company, the East India Company, which came in the year 1600. Along with it came the British colonial rule, which enslaved the people and a nation for more than 200 years. The nation was organised according to the British system that included the army, education, culture, railways, communication, administration and judiciary etc.

Today, in order to maximise profit, labour is exploited with technological advancement, mechanisation and automation. Labour is further marginalised from the production process. The production of basic human needs is being transformed into a production of luxury items promoting a consumerist culture. The most publicised and propagated myth about globalisation is that it creates jobs. But the fact of the matter is that there is a growing unemployment that affects the younger generation.

Facts:

1. The merger of Lever and TAMCO (Tata Oil Mills Company) had Lever establishing a 94 per cent monopoly over India's soap and detergent market. In spite of a 198 per cent growth and 293 per cent increase in profits during the last decade, its workforce dwindled. Also, it caused a heavy loss to the national exchequer due to the discounted price to the parent TNC.
2. Another incident relates to the PEPSI project in Punjab. Started in 1998 to herald a horticulture revolution in Punjab, and expected to generate 50,000 new jobs, it now gives permanent employment to only 12 persons and casual, two months in a year employment to 200 persons in the Punjab state.
3. India's largest experience of laying off four thousand railway workers, 40 thousand LIC employees, and now hundreds and thousands of Electricity Board workers and daily wage workers from governmental departments - breaking even the earlier held myth of job security in government services.

One can go on this debate the long list of impacts on the tribal, women, dalits; environmental degradation, cutting of subsidy in public distribution system, privatisation of health, education, and insurance; due to the withdrawal of the state from fulfilling its constitutional duties. The impact on agriculture was highlighted with the suicide deaths due to the debt trap, the dumping of tomatoes in Karnataka, and the burning of sugarcane fields in Uttar Pradesh. The patenting of neem and turmeric, brinjal and kerela, etc., are only a few examples of how the sovereignty of the country is being compromised by the peddlers of globalisation in India.

The Indian youth is very conscious of the growing global trends. The fact that young people can communicate to anyone at anytime in the world fascinates them. Globalisation not only brings about avenues for exchange of ideas in various forms - cellular phones, e-mails, pagers, videos and other tools of mass media, but also offers an opportunity to experience other peoples cultural traditions and, thus, can promote better cultural understanding among people. Yet, although the excitement and enthusiasm about this phenomenon is apparent to many young people, knowingly or unknowingly, they experience the huge pressures and strains that the globalisation process brings.

Cultural identities of young people are also threatened by globalisation. The aggressive advertising industry promotes pop culture personified by Hollywood celebrities. This causes the youth to undervalue their talents and cultural heritages. Changes in food habit, styles of dressing, and the concept of beauty are Westernised. Hamburgers, hair colours and bleaching agents become best sellers. The influx of goods promotes consumerism that contributes to environmental degradation. Life and nature are no longer significant to young people. Virtual animals and plants become more interesting than the real ones. Instead of respect for nature, they internalise the ability to manipulate nature.

Where should the Indian YMCA stand in this given condition? YMCA is a voluntary, international, Christian, ecumenical youth movement. But do we really live up to this statement? There is a need for us to search our original spirit and to go back to how we started as a movement. In the midst of poverty, alienation, environmental degradation, confusion, spiritual void and other social ills, the YMCA began its mission. Thus, we should always remain sensitive to these circumstances. The YMCA has reached all possible corners of India and has evolved into various forms in order to respond to the diverse realities of life. Should we not reflect our identity as a youth movement? How shall we respond to the needs of the times, particularly of young people?

Task:

Since there is very little awareness regarding the issues and problems caused by globalisation, these should be brought into the YMCA agenda. We need stronger unity and understanding among the Christian youth of today. The YMCA in India should bring together committed, talented young people who are motivated by faith, have a vision to contribute to social transformation, and with a mission to transform their vision into reality.
Leadership development, cultural action, study, research and documentation on the issues and problems of the youth may be a concrete area of involvement.

Joining the trade unions and the working class movements in the country, which are secular, socialist and democratic in character, would add to the deepening of the Christian commitment to build a new society. This involvement is a way to resist and oppose social-political and economic ills in the society brought by the forces of globalisation and fascism.

Though there is utter darkness surrounding us, we the Christian youth envisage for brighter world, a world with a new order, where justice shall roll down like a mighty river and righteousness like a never failing stream. We have to become change makers, looking at the present situation though it sounds very pessimistic; there is a ray of hope as written by Pablo Neruda:

They can cut all the flowers
But they can never stop Spring"

Our mission in this century ought to be as catalyst for spring to blossom the flowers.