Youth: Who can ignore them?

The newest kid on the social media block, Pinterest, is making news for all the right reasons. Created by a bunch of geeks barely three years ago, Pinterest has grown from 5,000 users in 2010 to about 17 million this year. This is the brief of a successful 20-year-old entrepreneur, who financiers are chasing to help take his company to the next scalable height. Such stories of young entrepreneurs emerge more from the west than from India, which still hands over business to the next generation as legacy. In the west, youngsters have to fend for themselves, right from their teens, and those who wish to delve into business have to venture out alone. But it is difficult to ignore zeal, enthusiasm and role of the youth of a country, whose 70% population is less than 35 years of age. They are going to play a pivotal role in building future of this country. Not for nothing are there so many organised bodies in India that congregate and channelise young leaders and entrepreneurs.  The Confederation of Indian Industries (CII) recently launched its youth chapter – Young Indians (Yi) – that aims to create opportunities for the young to participate and contribute in nation-building activities. So they can realise a country of their dreams in the years to come. Similarly, Young Presidents Organisation (YPO) is a worldwide platform of young leaders that cuts across languages and demographics. Over 20,000 people from 100 countries are registered members of this organisation. The Indian Chambers of Commerce (ICC) and its regional chapters, too, have a youth wing – Youth Leaders Forum (YLF). It is a body of achievers from diverse fields of industry, media, medicine, law, insurance and banking to name a few. Its objective is to build confidence and leadership. FICCI, the apex industry body of India and also the oldest, has also launched FICCI Young Leaders (FYL) to tap into the potential that the youth possess.  Media too isn’t far behind is recognising the potential. The Young Turks on CNBC-TV18 is one of the longest-running shows that has portrayed case studies of young leaders, the challengers they face and their history.There is hope that youth will bring in new thinking and new direction in society and in politics, commerce and innovation. There is hope that the youth will provide direction and thought to India so that the country becomes a world leader in the 21st century.The writer is  an entrepreneur and educationist.