Letter from the Editor-In-Chief

June, 2009 

Inqualab; this word strikes a chord in many Indian hearts. 

This very word was used to bring about a change in the state of affairs in India in the early part of the nineteenth century, prior to independence. Today, we do not have to bear the yoke of oppression from a distant land, yet, many Indians are depressed, disillusioned, disheartened and left in shambles. This is based upon the statistic that a majority of the Indian population is formed by the youth. The youth are what ultimately shape the destiny of a country, for, as the maxim goes, the future of a country lies in its youth. If the youth are misguided, then the future of the country is a bleak prospect but if the youth are on the right track, India will, in the near future, realise its dream of becoming a super power.

The ‘Youth Revolution’ it seems, has begun. With 82 MPs below the age of 40 years, the think tank of the Indian Democracy seems to be balanced in terms of experience and energy. For the North east, it is the first time that, (barring Assam) a single state has got two ministerial berths. Both the Parliamentarians from Meghalaya namely Vincent Pala and Agatha Sangma have obtained ministerial berths in Dr. Manmohan Singh’s government. This is not all; students (AASU) have come out and have made a stand against the illegal trade along the Indo – Bangla border in Assam that is plagueing the economy of country. 

The desire of India’s youth to excel is evident from the response to Eastern Panorama Fellowship. This month we are carrying   the article entitled ‘Folk and Electronic Media Mergre for Development’ on how the media can serve as a conduit for rapid development.

When all is said and done, the North East is blessed when the Directorate of Film Festivals, Govt. of India chose Shillong as the venue for its film festival. Here again, the power of the youth was on display as the different works of these young film makers brought many social issues to the fore, issues which have long been neglected and silently whispered in hushed tones. The youth now have become bolder and have started to meet challenges head on. Be it the first woman taxi driver of Sikkim inspiring young people to follow in her footsteps or the movement started by a group of bikers in Manipur to quell the degradation of the environment, the youth’s vibrant energy is today omnipresent.

Let us hope that the youth’s ‘Inqualab’ is here to stay for today will decide the tomorrow of our great country India.

Dr. K. K. Jhunjhunwala