Sanghamitra Shastri, 25, Masters student in Defence and Strategic Studies Pune University (2021-2023)
Photo by: Radha Ghosh
I am worried that there will not be enough food. In the name of development, we are erecting buildings all over the space. What happens when we run out of land conducive for growing food?
I also worried about mixing religion and politics. To me, religious affiliation is a part of one’s personal space. It should never be brought into the public space. It will get much worse, if we don’t stop it now.
I am also worried about what passes off as news today. Media is one of the oldest forms of perception management for institutions. Today, it is easy to go on live TV and invalidate someone’s arguments just because you don’t agree with them.
The conversations with our family and friends need to change, to start with. I remember discussing the NRC and CAA amendment issue with my grandmother. She doesn’t read or speak English very often. I sat down with her to explain what was being done, and why it was doing and why people were protesting. It made me realise that dialogue helps normalise the conversation. And while things aren’t all hunky dory, all hope isn't lost.
We will possibly become a lot more stable economically. Simply because of the sheer potential we have ready to be tapped into. But that will happen only and only if we know what we are aiming for. The idea is not to compete with China. We need to get over that. Because there is no way we will get to that.
We could get to a point where, both as individuals and collectives, we feel better about who we are or where we come from, how we identify with the country and what we’re doing. I see ourselves getting more in touch with ourselves.
Two areas: Healthcare and education.
Hospitals are not accessible for all. We may think that because we live in a city. I live in Pune and I have three hospitals in a four km radius. There are places where people have to work hundreds of kms to access basic healthcare.
I’d like my magic wand to change our education system. Nobody taught me the importance of real estate, learning how to file your taxes. Or if we want multiple unicorns to come out from India, we need to teach young people how to register a company. Or what are the differences between these kinds of companies? We also need to remind young Indians that while exams matter, they aren’t the end of the world. It’s really what you do with that knowledge. Most of our exams test your memory.