Dear friends
Before i raise my concerns regarding the youth of Punjab, i would like to present myself as a Punjabi in spite of connection with south because of my south Indian parents. I was born in Chandigarh and had my upbringing, academics and career in the north. All my friends are from north and most are Punjabis and i feel proud to have been brought up on the soil of this great land.
Now the point which has been gushing on the back of my head for quite some time is the adverse effect of modernization on Punjab youth. I have had friends from all states and most of them have benefited from rapid globalization and modern outlook commensurately with the growth of sites like facebook, twitter ; western-wear like Tommy, Gant, Fcuk, Ck ; food chains like KFC, Mc Donalds, Pizza Hut ; gadgets like Blackberry, I-pad etc. The rise of Healthcare, IT, Retail, Insurance and Banking in private sectors have led to an increase in employment, high disposable incomes and subsequent improvement in standards of life. The social networking sites, search engines like Google and educational sites like Wikipedia have broadened the horizons of education and social interaction which even a decade ago was limited to classrooms, books and constricted to a corresponding locality or region.
The big question arises on whether the youth of Punjab have benefited from these changes or not?
Recently, some Punjabi youths in two different cases were in the news for creating ruckus on road with their swanky BMW's. Also, there were reports of eve-teasing by the miscreants. Misbehaving with girls is a common sight in the discotheques of Chandigarh. I do not mean that guys from other states do not involve in these acts, but what bothers me is the fact that Punjabi youths have affluent family backgrounds than youths of any other state in this country. Those committing crimes were from rich families. Also, a matter of concern is the attitude of their parents who gift them flashy cars, expensive gadgets, branded apparels and accessories instead of giving them better education and making them responsible human beings, they throw them into a materialistic rat race. Their ignorance to the harsh realities of life is the reason behind scores of youths facing unemployment and vulnerability in the western countries they migrate to. This has also led to the flourishing of drugs peddling in the state.
Not just guys, the same applies to Punjabi girls as well. The womenfolk of Punjabwere known for their beauty and valor, who stood by their husbands in troubled times. The girls were known for their innocence, femininity and talents like 'Giddha'. Now look at what modernization has done to them! Hours of endless chatting on phone, texting on whatsapp like chat applications, using facebook to search flamboyant boys and uploading their pics just to showoff their branded clothes or trying to scoop as many boys as they could. They spend most of their time daydreaming about marrying an NRI or who inherits vast land and property or both. Ask them about the latest trends in fashion and you will get answers in split seconds but most of them will not even have an idea of who our current President is. They will also fall blank if asked about the culture and history their own state.
Are they the future of Punjab? Are drunken brawls, road rages, crimes against women, political squabbles, drug abuse the order of the day?
It is the social and collective responsibility of media and families of Punjab youths to guide and direct them towards a better future. Also, Punjabi socialites and artists especially popular Punjabi singers must initiate to raise social issues.
'Yo-Yo is good but proving an ideal to both youngsters and society is better'
Before i raise my concerns regarding the youth of Punjab, i would like to present myself as a Punjabi in spite of connection with south because of my south Indian parents. I was born in Chandigarh and had my upbringing, academics and career in the north. All my friends are from north and most are Punjabis and i feel proud to have been brought up on the soil of this great land.
Now the point which has been gushing on the back of my head for quite some time is the adverse effect of modernization on Punjab youth. I have had friends from all states and most of them have benefited from rapid globalization and modern outlook commensurately with the growth of sites like facebook, twitter ; western-wear like Tommy, Gant, Fcuk, Ck ; food chains like KFC, Mc Donalds, Pizza Hut ; gadgets like Blackberry, I-pad etc. The rise of Healthcare, IT, Retail, Insurance and Banking in private sectors have led to an increase in employment, high disposable incomes and subsequent improvement in standards of life. The social networking sites, search engines like Google and educational sites like Wikipedia have broadened the horizons of education and social interaction which even a decade ago was limited to classrooms, books and constricted to a corresponding locality or region.
The big question arises on whether the youth of Punjab have benefited from these changes or not?
Recently, some Punjabi youths in two different cases were in the news for creating ruckus on road with their swanky BMW's. Also, there were reports of eve-teasing by the miscreants. Misbehaving with girls is a common sight in the discotheques of Chandigarh. I do not mean that guys from other states do not involve in these acts, but what bothers me is the fact that Punjabi youths have affluent family backgrounds than youths of any other state in this country. Those committing crimes were from rich families. Also, a matter of concern is the attitude of their parents who gift them flashy cars, expensive gadgets, branded apparels and accessories instead of giving them better education and making them responsible human beings, they throw them into a materialistic rat race. Their ignorance to the harsh realities of life is the reason behind scores of youths facing unemployment and vulnerability in the western countries they migrate to. This has also led to the flourishing of drugs peddling in the state.
Not just guys, the same applies to Punjabi girls as well. The womenfolk of Punjabwere known for their beauty and valor, who stood by their husbands in troubled times. The girls were known for their innocence, femininity and talents like 'Giddha'. Now look at what modernization has done to them! Hours of endless chatting on phone, texting on whatsapp like chat applications, using facebook to search flamboyant boys and uploading their pics just to showoff their branded clothes or trying to scoop as many boys as they could. They spend most of their time daydreaming about marrying an NRI or who inherits vast land and property or both. Ask them about the latest trends in fashion and you will get answers in split seconds but most of them will not even have an idea of who our current President is. They will also fall blank if asked about the culture and history their own state.
Are they the future of Punjab? Are drunken brawls, road rages, crimes against women, political squabbles, drug abuse the order of the day?
It is the social and collective responsibility of media and families of Punjab youths to guide and direct them towards a better future. Also, Punjabi socialites and artists especially popular Punjabi singers must initiate to raise social issues.
'Yo-Yo is good but proving an ideal to both youngsters and society is better'
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