India's youth rapidly becoming 'Americanized'

As we approach the end of 2011, I cannot help but reflect on the year that went by. It has been a year full of highs and lows. While we successfully hosted the Commonwealth Games, the games also initiated the exposing of one scandal after another - affecting politicians, bureaucrats, business and the news media. However, in the backdrop of all the controversies, let us not forget that 2010 was also a year that further strengthened India's leading role in global politics, evident by the visit of leaders of the world's most powerful nations - US, China, Russia, England, Germany and France.
These opportunities and threats bring me to my main concern for 2011 - what kind of a nation are we shaping through our youth? Rahul Gandhi recently articulated what the aam admimeant to him. I completely agree with his definition that the aam admi is someone who is removed or disconnected from the "system". Today, in spite of all the Union government is doing to create an inclusive society for our youth, through legislation like the the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee, India still excludes most of her people from the "system". It is therefore our collective duty as a nation to make this "system" accessible to all irrespective of their economic or social orientations.
Today's Indian youth have more economic opportunities than my generation, and certainly previous generations. They have access to global communication tools like the internet and aspire to compete with the finest young minds around the world. There's no wonder why Indians today are one of the highest income earning communities in the US and many parts of Europe.
While we provide our youth with international standards of education and economic opportunities, in their rush to mimic the West, India's youth are rapidly becoming "Americanized". We are also victims to the mcdonaldization of the world where tastes and preferences are rapidly evolving, some for the better and some for the worse. For instance, in a decade, India's urban youth will begin to face the same problems faced by young people in the West - obesity, depression. 2010 saw a number of cases across the country of depression-led suicide. In addition, the recent global financial crisis was caused due to corporate greed. As we increasingly balance socialism and capitalism in the backdrop of high economic growth, more Indians have greater access to monetary wealth, usually at the cost of moral or ethical values.
This gets further compounded by that fact that many Indian businessmen rarely emphasize on ethical practices, passing on the tradition from one generation to the next. As a result, corruption is seen very subjectively - "if greasing someone's palm helps my business grow, its alright. But if someone else does it, they should be punished". This is an example of the hypocrisy our youth is subjected to today. What they must realise is that their actions have a direct impact on the poor in India, who continue to find it impossible to penetrate the "system". During 2010's biggest scandal relating to 2G spectrum, young Indian entrepreneurs, who are making us proud in corporate boardrooms, maintained a stoic silence in the debate against crony capitalists or the influence of vested interests driving news media. Speaking out against only the political establishment is not enough. I personally expect young entrepreneurs to question corporate integrity as critically as political propriety.
The same applies for the environment. Many students I meet do not seem passionate enough about environmental issues such as global warming or reducing the consumption of non-biodegradable materials like plastic. This ignorance frightens me. While I believe that educating our youth about these values should take place in classrooms, the reality is that young people shape their opinions from television, their parents and peer groups. All of us in positions of power - politicians, entertainers, media, businessmen - must work overtime to instill these values in our youth.
If we are to realize our goal of expanding and opening the "system" to allow every Indian the right to basic freedoms, we must dedicate ourselves from January 1st. After all, what good is it for any nation to have economic growth and wealth creation with the wrong values?
This article was carried in Navbharat Times as well