Role of Youth in Social Service

Not very long ago did our Prime Minister Narendra Modi at Central Park address the youth while speaking of his plans for India. Prime Minister Modi said, "A hundred million youth joining hands to transform our nation, to put the light of hope in every eye and the joy of belief in every heart, lead people out of poverty, put clean water and sanitation within the reach of all, make healthcare available to all, a roof over every head." - That's his vision for India. This summarizes the herculean task the youth of this country have on them to ensure that India's vision of being a developed nation by 2020 becomes a reality.

The United Nations reported India to have the world's largest youth population. Statistics say that our nation has 356 million 10-24 year-olds. In this nation of high diffidence, it is the youth, who could bring about a change. The youth can induce a sense of confidence in the society and join hands in ensuring that we, as a society, are getting better and living a more peaceful life.

In a nation with such huge numbers of resources in the form of this country's youth, it is very essential that the youth is aware of their role in the society. In this era of rat race and competition, we are generating millions of professionals, months after months. But then in the race of achieving fame, earning money and being at the top, the youth often compromise on giving back to the society. This is where understanding the role of the youth in social service becomes the need of the hour.

The reason we are talking about the youth is, one, because of their existence in large numbers and two, because of the new ideas and energy they bring to the table in addition to the knowledge that already exists in us. In the times when we are always fighting for our rights, let us sit back and think about our duties towards the nation.

There is no dearth of distractions for us in this age of technology and gadgets. Our smart phones can never be separated from us and a few of us, I am sure, would get into depression if they are asked to put away their smart phones for a few days, forget about few months. Why can't we think of taking time off on weekends and volunteering to teach in a government school or teach a group of illiterate Indians? Educating multiple sections of the society on regular basis can soon result in a literate, educated India. In the recent past, we have managed to achieve many feats in fields of science and technology. But it's certainly a matter of shame when many rural parts of the nation do not have basic sanitation facilities.

The youth can get involved in matters of public interest playing their part in spreading awareness on cleanliness, helping in times of natural calamities or helping the less privileged in whatever way they can. It is for us to break the trend of the rich getting richer and the poor getting poorer. It is for us to join hands in helping the poor either through education, vocational training or by just instilling the right sense of direction in them.

It's essential that we alter our priorities and look to contribute to the nation, contribute to the society in solving problems of high impact. The problems of the society are way too many to list out. But a sense of enthusiasm and energy from the youth of today can soon find solutions to many of them and help the country in more ways than one. The primary goal of every youth must be to serve others in the society. To serve, lift the other and grow forward together. Social service, certainly does not mean, leaving all the routine activities of an individual and devote yourselves only towards the society. But it's essential that we include giving back to the society in the best possible way to our priority list. Starting changes as small as not littering the society and making others aware of the same is a great start. Touching more lives through our daily work is another way. If we are working towards making someone's life better either through the software we write or through the services we provide or through the lessons we teach, we are on the right track.

There are numerous initiatives started by the Indian government for the upliftment of the weaker sections of the society. Actively getting involved in it, contributing to the implementation and betterment of these schemes can help the nation progress faster. The "Brain Drain" hits the nation quite often with more educated individuals venturing abroad to pursue their careers. Bringing down its count and having more educated minds into the system can trigger ripples of change into the nation, at large.

If each of us do our bit of social service whenever possible, with nearly 80% of our population being less that 40 years of age, we can together transform this country into a developed nation where basic factors like education, sanitation and healthcare are not deprived to anyone. Let's work towards making Former President APJ Abdul Kalam's vision of Developed India 2020 come true. I would conclude with the quote by the American President, John F. Kennedy. "Ask not what your country can do for you, ask what you can do for your country."