Hindi Poetry Finds New Space Among City Youth

As the poetry movement of Delhi catches flame, Hindi and Urdu poetry is finding its linchpins in the young, passionate writers who’d rather write in a new language they call Hindustani. A mix of Hindi and Urdu, this is the language that neo-India speaks, when not trying to cavort with Hinglish. Amit Dahiya who has been writing English and Hindi poetry for the past several years and is the founder of Delhi Poetree says that Hindi poetry scene today is not what it used to be. “There are a few names that get brandished around, but the scene is much larger today. Poets are writing without the inhibitions of either language and expressing themselves beautifully,” he says adding that they have an eight-year-old girl, who attends the readings and recites poetry in Hindi.
Shikha Khanna, a photographer and a poet feels that her poetry connects with today’s youth as it talks about their issues. “Earlier, youth did not have young poets writing about things that they could relate to, but today people instantly associate with poetry,” she says adding that her poetry is enjoyed and appreciated by not just poetry lovers, but even friends and acquaintances. “I started with writing in English, a lot of which was appreciated as well. But I found my poetic voice only in Hindustani, in which I felt I could best express myself,” says Shikha.
The English-Hindi divide does a complete 180 degrees, when it enters the portals of poetry. Abhniva Niranjan, who is a marketing professional opines that Hindi, Hindustani and regional poetry are much respected in India over its English cousin. “Hindi poetry is considered way more evolved than English simply because it is not our mothertongue. The nuances and alliterations, which sound magical in Hindi, lose their meaning in English.”
While Anaf Khan, works a regional manager for a multi-national and writes as he is passionate, says that Hindustani poetry being written today follows a strict form, derived from Urdu poetry. “The poetry written in Hindustani works on the same principle as music, with a very precise technique, which is very difficult to achieve and usually overlooked in English. So, it makes the Hindustani version lyrical and pleasing to the soul.”

http://www.asianage.com/life-and-style/hindi-poetry-finds-new-space-among-city-youth-810

Our Youth - Conservative, Anxious, Optimistic

Commenting on the similarities between the young and the old, Peter Ronald deSouza, a faculty member of CSDS, said, “There does not seem to be a big generational gap between the older generation and today’s youth. We share similar views and anxieties.”

Interested in politics

Unlike the rest of the world, where the interest of the youth in politics is found to be declining, a high population of India’s youths believe in the tenets of democracy and politics. While 13 per cent claimed to have “high interest” in politics, 24 per cent said they had “moderate interest”.
Besides their interest, the youth also exhibit high participation in politics and high trust in democracy. And while they trust the Army, they don’t really trust the police and political parties. About 48 per cent said they had strong faith in democratic values while 27 per cent were indifferent to these issues.

Urban-rural divide

Be it fashion, the available time for leisure or mixing with the opposite sex, those in urban areas have the upper hand over their rural counterparts. The study says that while 67 per cent of men in the metros have an extended circle of friends, the corresponding figure for rural men is just 54 per cent. Even when it comes to parental authority, rural youth (42 per cent) find it more important than urban youth (33 per cent).

High anxiety, high optimism

The study, conducted on people between the ages of 15 and 34 years, finds that the group shares similar anxieties and concerns as the old. However, there is also a high level of optimism. While half of them reported “very high” anxiety, two out of every 10 youths admitted “high” anxiety. Age, caste and education were found to influence the level of anxiety while the place of residence and religion did not appear to make a difference.

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Theatrical tribute to Kargil hero

hinmaya Yuva Kendra, the global youth wing of Chinmaya Mission, in an effort to inspire the country’s youth, are conducting mono act plays on the lives of the martyrs of the 1999 Kargil War. The first such play will be held on the life of Param Veer Captain Vikram Batra, on his eleventh martyrdom day today. Captain Batra, of the 13 JAK Riles, captured point 5140 in Dras sector and point 4875 in Mushkoh valley during the Kargil war.

Inspiring Youngsters

After capturing point 5140, the 24-year-old captain had made famous the line, ‘Yeh dil maange more’ (the heart wants more), referring to his desire to lead his battalion to more victories. The young Captain fell in battle to enemy fire, while attempting to save a fellow officer.

Shiva Suryavanshi, an actor from the Himachal Culture Research Forum and Theatre Academy, Mandi (Himachal Pradesh), will be playing Captain Batra in the play. Says Suryavanshi, “Youngsters today aren’t keen to join the Indian army. They know very little about the sacrifices our heroes have made. We know about Bhagat Singh and Chandrashekhar Azad, but they don’t know about a Vikram Batra or Manoj Pandey, who also sacrificed their lives for the country.”

“In fact, we held a quiz for people on Marine Drive and Chowpatty recently, to see how many people knew Captain Vikram Batra,” he continues. “And the results were shocking — hardly anyone knew about his sacrifices. With our plays, we want to create awareness about our heroes.”

The play will depict the life of Captain Batra before his time in the army, as well as his bravery during the war. Suryavanshi met the Captain’s parents, and read the book, Param Vir Chakra, by Major General Ian Cardozo, to understand him better.

“His life is as inspiring as his achievements during Kargil are,” Suryavanshi says. “Captain Batra had been selected in the Merchant Navy, and was getting a great package there, but he didn’t take it up, and preferred the Indian Army instead. “In fact, his father had wanted him to give an exam for MA in Literature, but Vikram was so interested in joining the army, that he filled the entire paper with ‘Jai Bharat.’”

Country-Wide Play

The Yuva Kendra has invited current and former army officers to watch the play. Captain Batra’s parents will attend the event as the guests of honour. After this play, Suryvanshi will also enact the lives of other brave martyrs like Lieutenant Manoj Pandey and Major Somnath Sharma too.

“We have received invitations from Delhi, Chennai and Goa, and we hope to present the play in those cities as well,” Suryavanshi says. “This is just the beginning – we want to inspire the entire country.”

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A New Deal For Youth

Rahul Gandhi's birthday, which went by last Saturday, will be followed by organisational elections within the Indian Youth Congress (IYC). Both events are significant for young Indians. Youth had all but abjured 'politics' completely, following the tumult of the 1980s and the temptations of the 1990s.

These decades brought political assassinations with shameful scandals, corruption scams with messy manipulations of caste and creed, the confusions of global citizenship fuelled by wealth and mobility, alongside ideas of Indian citizenship, tolerant and accommodating, taking heavy blows. A medieval mosque was torn down to make a sacred temple, the names of beloved cities changed and citizens were often hunted by manic but precise mobs, bearing lists of names, addresses and the blessings of politicians.

'Politics' came to represent a sphere of terrible murkiness for the average Indian youth. The word 'politician' represented a figure of greed and ruthlessness while 'politics' symbolised gross manipulations for power with violence, perpetrated via mobs directed by political leaders. Many young Indians stopped following political news, preferring to sink into the comforts of consumption and the thrills of aspiration instead of wrangling with the daily disappointments of what politics produced.

Rahul changed this scenario. Amazingly for someone who holds the country's most famous political surname, by reaching out through talent hunts, membership drives and student meetings, he managed to make many young Indians believe in politics as a realm that could extend beyond the narrowness of nepotism. He persuaded young Indians to imagine politics as a sphere that could offer decency, development and discourse as opposed to dadagiri, sleaze and manipulation. He even managed to induce young Indians to think of politics as a career option which would use their capacities as individuals, not deploy them as mobs for sycophancy and violence. Considering the backdrop, this is a rather extraordinary achievement.

While accomplishing this turnabout in public perceptions, Rahul demonstrated his understanding of the importance of symbolism in politics, combined with a sharp awareness of local realities. His visits to Dalit homes and meals, his stays at peasant huts, his travels by train and his distaste for obsequiousness have managed to permeate the consciousness of young Indians, nestling there amidst images and senses of cappucinos, cricket and visas, the internet and malls, work, traffic, power cuts, mobiles, gyms, family, credit rating and dating.

In representing India to the world and vice-versa too, Rahul displayed confidence. When David Miliband, foreign secretary of the previous Labour government in Britain, visited India in 2009, Rahul took him to rural Uttar Pradesh, making the dapper David spend a night in a cold village hut, observing the mists spreading over the vast, flat land as well as the telecommunications linking such villages to the world. When the Indo-US nuclear Bill came up for its stormy passage through Parliament, Rahul argued for it with a conviction that mirrored the belief many young Indians hold, of India's capacity to withstand foreign domination and negotiate the best for itself on the global stage.

It is now important for Rahul to ensure his message does not become overwhelmed by mediums alone. The substance to his work, based in communities and confidence, should emerge clearly and consistently; an example is his raising the case of Kalawati, a Vidarbha villager who would benefit from the electricity produced by nuclear energy. There were reports thereafter of Kalawati seeking to stand in local elections but being browbeaten by unnamed groups to withdraw. Rahul's team needs to follow up on such instances and make sure the issues of access and development his work highlights reach ideal ends instead of becoming loose and vaguely-disturbing threads.

Another strategy that needs consistent follow-through is Rahul's encouragement of activists arising from genuine political engagement. The young leader should continue supporting the political rise of Real Young Turks as opposed to Privileged Young Jerks who even accept lynch mob diktats to protect their own seats.

This June, Rahul turned a youthful 40, and the Indian electorate should also celebrate its own maturity. Although he has been the most refreshing arrival on the political block since decades, the Indian media has not displayed an obsession with Rahul's private life. This relates to the lack of public demand for details of politicians' personal lives. Despite everything, the Indian electorate believes politicians are public functionaries appointed to develop the nation and, unless their private lives grossly hamper public interest, there is little need to probe. This wisdom stands in marked contrast to the tabloid investigations and feverish readership of the West.

Rahul appears to appreciate these aspects of the Indian public. Perhaps this appreciation drives his desire to institutionalise an identity card system for Youth Congress members, beginning with the IYC elections. The massive undertaking emphasises system and order, recognising the distinct identity of each member, treating activists as individuals, not a mob.

It is a strange irony that the 'people's prince' is today encouraging the people to challenge established ideas and shake up set notions about politics and politicians. Following the New Deal slowly emerging between Rahul and the young electorate of India, as both mature and progress and learning what this politician truly stands for grows increasingly intriguing and essential.

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NYC takes up youth issues with CM

The Nationalist Youth Congress (NYC) has demanded that the state government set up a state youth commission, a youth development corporation and provide economic support for young entrepreneurs among other facilities.

The demands were presented to chief minister Digambar Kamat through a memorandum by NYC state president Rajan Ghate in the presence of national president Rajeev Kumar Jha on Monday.

The youth commission, the NYC says, must be constituted with the power to formulate policies and welfare schemes for the overall development of youth across the state. 'The commission shall be empowered to safeguard the constitutional rights of youth especially the equality of opportunities,' the memorandum stated.

The NYC also said that a state youth development corporation can be formed with a corpus fund to finance the development activities for youth. 'The fund may be raised with government and private collaborations. Corporate sector will be encouraged to give voluntary contributions to this corporation,' the memorandum stated.

The NYC has demanded that the government should ensure at least one government job in a family irrespective of caste and creed. 'Government should forthwith abolish the contractual recruitment policy and offer regular employment to youth through the employment exchange office so that all vacancies are notified and recruited through the employment exchange,' states the memorandum.

The NYC has also demanded economic support for young entrepreneurs. 'To eradicate unemployment, adequate financial support in the form of soft loans may be provided to young entrepreneurs, based on their educational and technical qualifications,' the memorandum states.

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