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    Volume 9 Issue 26| June 25, 2010|


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One Off

That Youth -This Youth!

Aly Zaker

There is a saying in Bangla that the past is always blissful. I know that the generation I have come to be slotted in would encourage many to say that there he goes again, old that he is; reminiscing is often misjudged as an old-human preoccupation. For fear of this devastating classification, even at the age of thirty, I desisted from uttering anything that had to do with the past. Nostalgia, also, is a word that is almost synonymous with old age. And in that age group it is assumed that certain some typicality is almost intrinsic. Yet, at age ten, I was nostalgic of my fear, when I was six, in taking the leap to the top of the haystack which my peers could easily manage getting their share of claps and kudos even from my own elder brother. At fifteen, I reminisced the wonderful trips that I had taken made earlier with our family to various places within and outside the country. I avoided becoming nostalgic about my youthful pranks of sixteen at the age of twenty, so on and forth. The dictate is so pervasive that I even refrained from humming the song so close to my heart… “Those were the days my friend; I thought they'd never end…”

But reminisce I did, all by myself alone and not talking about it with any one. This, I suppose is something that is the sole dividing line between 'that youth' and 'this youth'. Forget the past! I'd still doubt if this psychological division between young and old is really so dominant amongst the youth of today in countries like ours. It does seem almost too intellectual a classification and, perhaps, precludes our social norms. Attachment of our young people with their villages is a possible indicator. And I don't believe that the attachment stems out of sheer physical necessity of eating well, living free, being pampered etc. It goes beyond that. It is something more emotional than just the expedient necessities of life. I heard a young college going woman say before the last Eid holidays that she was longing to go home (in the village) just to lie beside her grandma and do nothing. I asked her if she missed her village. “Like hell” she said. She said she missed her childhood, her errands, pursuing the butterflies, the smell of the coriander and the mastered flowers. She missed all these. Well I do not miss my village in the way that this girl does because I grew up in towns. But I miss my home of my childhood. I miss the days of my growing up. My family. My friends. Our mischievous pranks and so on. If these can be tantamount to nostalgia then I don't see any generation gap. I think every generation in their own world have their own kind of nostalgia.

Photo: Zahedul I khan

Now that the element of nostalgia is out of the way, may we take a closer look at what makes 'that youth' and 'this youth' merge together to become 'the youth'? Well there are differences. These differences have more often been event-centric than intrinsic to human nature. These events have controlled our behaviour and belief system at various times. When I was 'really' young we had to fight a war to free our land of foreign occupation. The history preceding the war saw colossal political upheaval. And that upheaval was not exclusive to politicians. People from all walks of life participated in it whole-heartedly and spontaneously. The students were in the forefront of that political movement. This was regardless of party affiliation. I hope I don't need to elaborate on the reason why so many millions of people became involved in the war directly or indirectly. It has been said so many times before. Suffice it to say, 'that youth' responded to this call spontaneously. Now we have a nation of our own. Today the most invasive factor in our life perhaps has come to be known as globalisation. To use an almost clichéd expression, we are the citizens of a global village. Now, this globalisation process, though not formalised, has started us thinking about its possible impact on our lives. Until now our youth, in general, have been globalised to the extent of wearing jeans, sneakers and using a sprinkling of a word or two of English in conversations. Mark me; I said “youth in general”. It is not focused on a few of those that had the good fortune of being raised in the families that had the means and ways of imparting superior education and allowing them a cushier life. It is the vast majority of our youths that I am talking about. Globalisation in our society is essentially confused with westernisation, a process where we are always at the receiving end. This aspect has to reverse in order for us to be able to contribute to the process that this concept entails. Be it as it may, the world, in order to open its heart to each group of people, needs hands-on and spontaneous participation by all. 'This youth' will have to understand this implication of globalisation and start preparing themselves to be there when the world needs them. This is a huge responsibility that 'this youth' has to address.


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