Amongst the many Indias living in India today, two are significantly distinct. India of the forty plus people and the younger India. I think this has something to do with how we progressed slowly in the 60s and 70s and also lived in the infamous 'licence raj'. Everything was controlled, regularised and monitored by the government then. We were in awe of the west which had ruled us in the not so distant past.
All this, for the 'new' India is a pre-historic era, about which we read in our history books, shake our heads and wonder how our ancestors lived in such unjust times. Most of us are unable to even imagine a time when a third country ruled India and we were "subjects" of a foriegn queen.
This difference has led to a completely different mindset and a different value system between young people and old. Now, this difference would be prevalent all accross the globe but not as pronounced in most parts as it is in India.
Take, for example, the debate on NDTV today morning about the High Court ruling legalising gay sex. Without exception the young members of the panel were more liberal and supportive of individual choices than the oldies who harped about control and acceptability. The older guys were worried about how the society feels about an issue which I am sure everybody would agree is a very personal one. I'll take a specific example. There was one Mr. Kakkar a former IPS officer on the panel. I was completely taken aback by the rigid and so obviously wrong stand he took while expressing his views and also the comfort level with which he expressed his views amidst strong opposition. Now, I am sure he is a very intelligent man with a lot of experience so he is able to analyse things rationally. Then theres only one explanation for him not being able to open up his mind to the idea of legalising something he has always believed to be wrong, it is the enviornament in which he grew up, that of the 60s and the 70s.
Without exception, the young panelists on any show on T.V are more liberal and individualistic than the older ones who have strong beliefs about society.
I wonder how will it be 30-40 years from now? When we will be the oldies. Will the young people then have a similar perception of us? Will we too over the years have become more rigid and less flexible about issues?
I think not, I hope not.
