He's the world's most talked-about man - in cafés, colleges campuses, and even in the world's trendiest nightclubs.
He's the world's most talked-about man - in cafés, colleges campuses, and even in the world's trendiest nightclubs. With more than 950,703 supporters on his Facebook profile, and around 1,790 Youtube videos singing his praises, Senator Barack Obama is more than just another presidential candidate in the US elections. He is change. He is revolutionary. And most importantly, he is young.
But can we ever expect any of this in India? The Indian-American youth, has been particularly active in these elections, and in their support for Obama. There are large numbers of them volunteering for their candidates as well as making minor donations from their pocket money.
Blogs, fan pages and online communities are often considered as the 'in' thing with these volunteers. In India, however, the situation is contradictory. Here, while there are youth political wings in our country, volunteers shift loyalties from one party to another depending on "favourable" or "unfavourable" conditions.
Nineteen-year-old Ruuta Waghmare, an SYBA student at Wilson College accredits this to the influence of student communities in the US. "They are logically taught about elections, nominees, et al right from school level. Here, even our teachers are scared to discuss politics in class," she says.
Amit Mishu, a law student at GLC, concurs, "With the electoral tampering that happens in our country, it can never be a one-sided affair." Though there maybe people who follow a leader religiously, it is mainly because they are 'paid' to do so.
"I have seen youngsters wearing shirts and bandanas in support of some random political party, but I am sure they are not real supporters," says 32-year-old bank executive Stuti Kanetkar.
Most of the city's youth are disillusioned with the current political scenario, and would be more than happy to support a new, young, fresh face. But Ruuta seems to have found her ideal 'Indian Obama' in Rahul Gandhi "I wouldn't hesitate wearing him on my tee, if he had to run for elections," she says. However, Ruuta insists that she would make it a point to study and analyse Gandhi's ideals and policies before taking a final decision.
And if we want our president or any other politician for that matter to be a suit-clad, internet-savvy and Facebook-friendly individual, it's time we learn from Obama, who said: "I wouldn't be here if, time and again, the torch had not been passed to a new generation."
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