dreams, fantasies and visions [continued from last post]

if you have not read the last post, pls read it.

yeah, it has nothing to do with this one, but still, might give you some perspective :)

of india's 1 000 000 000+ people almost 50% are under 30 (i can't remember where i read this, but let's assume it's true for now). this is an astounding figure. over 500 MILLION youngsters. it's either damn scary or damn useful, depending on how you look at it.

there are some downsides to it right off:
* there's a massive imbalance between men and women
* income disparities are huge
* education disparities are excessive

of the three the only real problem, at least as i see it, is the first issue - the gender imbalance is going to either result in war, or some other kind of political unrest unless men have a useful outlet. and that has to be driven by leadership and vision.

this brings me to the the other two points. provided the proper vision (and the corresponding leadership) i believe they are will take care of themselves. people are willing to work for very little - as can be seen by the web 2.0 revolution. they also can accomplish a great deal with their own self-effort given minimal education. see all the dot-com heroes. life in india is cheap enough to allow people to pursue their visions with minimal renumeration, provided they see the long-term potential.

if vision and leadership can be provided to the unwashed multitudes - the youth who have the energy, the drive and the ambition - i believe this nation has the ability to change the world. without vision and the associated leadership we're doomed to repeat the mistakes of previous empires, regimes and institutions.

today i have high hopes that i can contribute to putting the seeds of change into the mindsets of a few of the youth here.

but i fear that my optimism may be short-lived since the simultaneity of opportunity and fascist adherence to the idiocies of a bygone era are too apparent. specifically my previous rant about institutional ignorance such as that found at the "gymkhana club" (and their dress code) vs the recognition by youth here that there are possibilities for them to create magic that meets the needs of the current populance. i don't know if the youthful exuberance and desire to create magic can fight the bureaucracy-adled stupidity of incoherent and irrelevant rules which are going to be instilled on the youth - to make them kow-tow to those who decide how things need to work.

i realize this all sounds vague and distracted. i need to digest my ideas into something more concrete.