ManiKrishna

In the past, teenagers were looked upon as the beacon of hope in society and looked upon in awe as they were the future not just of that particular family but also of the entire nation. And as such they were supposed to follow in the path of their ancestors. However, the changes in lifestyle and other emerging trends in the twentieth century has necessitated a change in their attitude. Does this mean a change of our culture and tradition that has been practiced and passed on through generations? Since, teenagers are the ones in whose hands the future and well being of the world in the next millennium lies, what then is in store for them?

Earlier, teenagers had respect for elders and looked upon them for guidance in life. Elders were the role models for them. But the trend has changed. In the modern world youth have adopted western culture that has forced them to change. They are of the opinion that, they are no more the twentieth generation teenagers but of the twenty firsts, and want themselves to be identified as generation X of the twenty first century. In those days, Mahathma Gandhi, Nehru, Nethaji, Rajaji and other similar personalities were the role models for youngsters. But think of todays teenagers... they only have Shah Rukh Khan, Rajnikanth, Kamal Hasan, Kushboo, Salman Khan, Kajol etc. to ape and not even Leander Peas or Tendulkar or Vishy Anand for that matter.

Another objective of today’s teenager is Money. To be precise, More Money and fast Money, that has attracted them towards materialism. Teenagers are changing there ideals and culture in life to earn fast money in quick time. In the process, they get involved in unlawful activities, say smuggling, terrorism and indulging in criminal offenses or activities. One cant blame the teenagers only for this. There are many factors that have led teens into such a sorry state of affairs like for example, the prevailing rate of unemployment, less time devoted by parents, improper and vision-less educational system, etc.

Nowadays, at the tender-age of 16 (which they call as teenage), you have professional killers who don’t hesitate even to kill their loved ones to get hold of properties or settle a score. In the recent past the gap between teenagers and elder people are becoming wider and wider as they claim "we are the natural leaders of this world,". This is also popularly called as the Generation Gap(GP). While the elders want unstilted loyalty to their values, the teenager frowns at any kind of supervision and rebels. So, they are addicted to drinking, smoking and use of drugs as they feel this habit gives a macho image to them. Helped only by the numerous western flicks fed by our satellite behemoths. The parents are also to be blamed for GP, since children do pick up certain habits, especially the negative ones, swiftly from them.

Today’s generation of teenagers do not have strong ideals or a clear sense of identity nor do they have major dreams or vision in their life. This generation of teenagers are facing an unclear future to prepare for their future living and are always pre-occupied with some thing else in their mind. To lead a comfortable yet tasteful life in the near future, teenagers fell that a secured job with highly paid salaries, a car, cellular phone and weekend parties organized by the companies for whom they work is enough not to mention the stray foreign trips as incentives.

What they dont understand is that theirs is a segment that is more needed for the country's future because they are the harbingers of change and growth. But sadly today’s teenager doesn’t want to stay in India. They are forced to believe that their future lies in the land of hope - USA . This then is the segment that gets everything from India-its education, health, environment etc. and proceeds to serve for the growth of another country. For example, the government spends approximately Rs 6 lakhs to produce a medical professional. But most of the doctors leave India. The government should implement such subsidy education only with a commitment, say, serve this country for 10 years or pay back the investment before leaving.

Sadly, this generation of teenagers do not have role models like Aishwarya Rai and Sushmita Sen who became very popular in a short period, because of their triumph in the Miss Universe and Miss World competitions not due to their skin-skill alone but also due to their intelligence and perseverance.

These Generation X people believe in dating and enjoying life in amoral ways. And this is catching up quickly among the metro-youth today. It has to be restricted and the after math explained. Outlook (dated November 1, 1999, page 62) reports that: Navratri through the numerous discos and dandiya nites, has degenerated into an occasion to have inhibited sex because youngsters were allowed freedom to stay out till the wee hours which they often end up misusing. Based on reports from medical practitioners, education minister Anandiben Patel expressed concern over the rising number of abortions just after Navratri. This is an indication of changing lifestyles of teenagers towards sex.

All these started happening with the advent of satellite channels and exodus of foreign movies beamed on television and in theatres.

What then has to be done? Who is to be held responsible for such an impasse? And what are to be the remedial measures?