Icons, more than just celebs

Their sheen is undeniable and Twitter has even made celebrities and public figures more accessible. But, one thing’s for sure — it takes a lot more than controversy or glamour to impress today’s youth who want icons they can actually look up to, as indicated by the youth attitudes survey conducted by DNA and IMRS.

Tanya Parmar, a 23-year-old media professional, believes we need to highlight politicians who are working for the betterment of society as a whole. “Shubha Raul did an excellent job as mayor. Her initiatives to keep the city clean were quite successful,” she says.

In the world of business and finance, there is only one name that pops up in everyone’s mind — Mukesh Ambani’s. “Minus the controversies, I think the man deserves the position he has reached,” says Diana Dmello. For S Karkal, a lawyer, “NR Narayana Murthy, the founder of Infosys, is an inspiration. He is a great gentleman, a true professional and my idol.”

If there’s one icon who continues to hold a steady place in young hearts and minds, it’s Sachin Tendulkar.

“This man is not called God for nothing. His accomplishments on and off the field speak for themselves. I particularly like his humility inspite of his obvious talents and stature,” says 28-year-old copywriter Ajay D’Souza, who isn’t even much of a cricket fan.

Being better exposed to world cinema, today’s youth is bored of clichéd Bollywood films. Instead, they want actors to experiment and portray roles that are closer to reality, and the man who tops the list in this regard is Aamir Khan.

Nonetheless, Amitabh Bachchan’s superstar image has stayed intact, as the actor clearly has a strong fan following even among youngsters.

The underlying message in the survey — not blinded by the glitz and glamour that usually surrounds public figures — young people today are looking for icons who, much like themselves, want to play an active role in taking India to the next level.