One must hand it out to the Anti-National Forces … they certainly know how to set a Narrative. They know how to imprint certain names, slogans, crimes in our mind over and above facts, true leaders and good acts of kindness. There was a time when “Bharat Mata ki Jai”, “Vande Mataram”, “Inquilab Zindabad”, “Jai Shree Ram” were slogans one took pride in and expressed love for the country and Her culture. Thanks to repeated soft hammering in our minds, “Bharat Tere Tukde Honge”, “Fascist Modi”, “Saffron Terror”, “Brahminical Patriarchy” are the slogans that come the minds of youngsters in colleges today.

Talk about crime and the only names that will click in your mind will be “Hathras”, “Kathua”, “Akhlaq”, “Pehlu Khan”, “SSR” and “NIrbhaya”. Will anyone remember “Enron”, “Harshad Mehta”, “Poaching of animals”, “Illegal Arms Trade”, “Jewellery smuggling in Kerala” or even “Genocide in Kashmir”? No. Because these are never discussed in the Media or in everyday life at all.

I do not remember the last time when any activist not associated with any foreign-funded NGO got the spotlight. I do not even remember reading about any of those who have been recent (last 4 or 5 years) recipients of the Padma awards in any Print or Social Media. Their names must have flashed in the newspapers one day after they got their awards, but they have disappeared into obscurity after that. But people like Swami Agnivesh, Kailash Satyarthi, Medha Patkar, Arundathi Roy (believe it or not) are still discussed irrespective of whether they do any real activism or not.

Coming to our Yuva Netas or young achievers and youth leaders, guess who are discussed? No, it is not Tejasvi Surya or Jamyang Tsering Namgyal or Hima Das or Kailas Sivasailam or any of the 30 young achievers as per Forbes India. Our Yuva Netas are old and wrinkled Rahul Gandhi, Priyanka Vadra, Umar Khalid, Kanhaiya Kumar!!!! Those who want to side with China and Terrorists and Naxalites are our Yuva Neta, as per “knowledgeable” people in the Media. Yesterday one of the questions asked on Kaun Banega Crorepati was based on this. It is subtle indoctrination via suggestions and making the suggestions acceptable via a family based programme. Not just that, the programme is linked to general knowledge and hence the suggested message is that it is important for youngsters to register these people as Youth Leaders. And this is how such names become part of regular conversation. The true leaders and innovators are given the short drift and their achievements are never highlighted.

No wonder people say that Bharat is not the country for innovations or talent recognition. For that, one has to go abroad, because unfortunately only if one is of a minority community or from a privileged family or one is an anti-national or one is an actor, will one get noticed in India. But there’s hope yet – the good news is that, regular people are seeing through this sham and are rejecting it.

“Yuva Neta kaisa ho? RG, AK, KK, UK ke jaise bilkul na ho!”

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