At the India Today Conclave 2014, the vivacious Ranveer Singh burst into a dance, for the tune of ‘Yahan ke hum sikandar’ from the film Jo Jeeta Wohi Sikandar. That pretty much set the mood for the session ‘Young and Restless: How to Be Bold and Brave'.
Hindustan Power Projects Chairman Ratul Puri defined the circumstance in India quite succinctly. “More than 60 per cent of India is under the age of 40. They are definitely young, and their restlessness has been caused by the rise of social media and the resulting increased awareness which creates aspirations,” he said.
The challenges in front of India, he outlined, lie in creating infrastructure, opportunity and skill for this generation. Young actor-turned politician Chirag Paswan said the urge to do something for Bihar’s youth was what drove him into politics. “I want to bring Bihar’s samman (pride) back,” he said. Quizzed about his party’s recent pre-poll alliance with BJP, Chirag said the nation couldn’t be hostage to the past—in a veiled reference to the 2002 Gujarat riots.”