New Delhi, July 19 (IANS) Every nation fights a battle for the imagination of its youth, and the same is happening in India also. But the real question is — what kind of future are young Indians being encouraged to dream of?
Recently, a handwritten postcard carrying the words ‘Vande Mataram’ travelled into space aboard Skyroot’s Vikram-1 rocket. Asked why he had chosen that message, Prime Minister Narendra Modi said this year marks the 150th anniversary of the national song and that Vande Mataram has always inspired India’s youth.
The symbolism could hardly have been more striking. India celebrated two milestones — the country’s hydrogen-powered train and Vikram-1, a privately built rocket developed by a team of young engineers, most of them under the age of 28. Together, they conveyed a powerful message: when given the right opportunity, Indians, particularly the youth, are capable of building, innovating and competing with the best in the world.
But at the very same time, another contest has been unfolding in the national capital. At Jantar Mantar, attempts have been underway to channel the anger of young aspirants over paper leaks into a larger political movement.
This raises a larger question that goes beyond one protest or one political party.
The paper leak issue is undoubtedly serious. The NEET-UG 2026 controversy has shaken the confidence of lakhs of students and their families. It deserves neither trivialisation nor political point-scoring. But it is equally true that paper leaks are not a recent phenomenon. They have plagued India’s examination system for decades. What successive governments failed to do was create a robust mechanism capable of dismantling the networks that flourished within the system itself.
When the teacher becomes the thief, the system stands compromised. More importantly, it reflects the country’s social, political and moral condition. Such a system has existed for nearly 78 years, with the Congress party being in power for much of that period. Today, Rahul Gandhi is organising events around paper leaks to target the present government. He appears keen to tap into the sentiments of Gen Z in an attempt to build a larger political movement ahead of the 2029 Lok Sabha elections and the Assembly elections due before that, including in Punjab and Uttar Pradesh.
After spending nearly 20 days abroad, Rahul Gandhi has also sought to regain political visibility ahead of the Monsoon Session of Parliament. Interestingly, he and his party stayed away from Sonam Wangchuk’s hunger strike at Jantar Mantar, which began on June 28, but decided to show solidarity as the Parliament session drew closer. Senior Congress leaders were seen at the protest site, and Rahul Gandhi also posted on social media after Wangchuk was shifted to the hospital.
For nearly the first fortnight, there was no significant mobilisation in Wangchuk’s support, with many gatherings at Jantar Mantar revolving around food, selfies and making reels. None of the major opposition parties — Congress, Samajwadi Party, Trinamool Congress, AAP or others — asked their youth wings to stage a sustained protest at the iconic demonstration site in the heart of Delhi. However, they made a beeline for the venue once it became clear that administrative intervention could follow the Delhi High Court’s July 16 order directing the authorities to do whatever was necessary to save Wangchuk’s life.
After Wangchuk was shifted to the hospital, opposition leaders, including Rahul Gandhi, became vocal in attacking the government.
The paper leak issue is undoubtedly a serious concern and deserves to be dealt with firmly. The recent arrests in the NEET paper leak case have exposed the depth of the racket. Those entrusted with safeguarding the system are the very people accused of betraying it.
The growing demand for structural reforms is therefore justified. The government must ensure that examinations become secure, transparent and beyond manipulation. That alone will restore the confidence of students whose careers depend on a fair system.
Democracy will always have protests, and rightly so. Young people have every reason to question governments, demand accountability and seek justice. But there is a difference between encouraging young minds to seek reform and encouraging them to believe that agitation alone is the path to change.
The contrast before India’s youth today is striking. On one hand are young scientists, engineers and entrepreneurs pushing technological frontiers. On the other hand is an attempt to define youth politics primarily through anger and confrontation. Both are messages competing for the attention of the same generation.
The success of Vikram-1 is more than a private space achievement. It demonstrates that Indian talent can create technologies that only a handful of private companies across the world have mastered. The hydrogen-powered train similarly reflects an ambition to build cleaner and more advanced public infrastructure. These achievements are not merely technological milestones; they are expressions of national confidence.
It was therefore fitting that among Vikram-1’s symbolic payloads was a handwritten postcard bearing the words Vande Mataram. The phrase has inspired generations of Indians during different phases of the country’s journey. The message accompanying the mission was unmistakable: inspire young Indians to build rather than merely react.
Ultimately, the future of the country will not be decided only inside Parliament or at protest sites. It will be shaped in laboratories, classrooms, startups, universities, factories and research centres, where millions of young Indians quietly pursue ideas that can transform the nation.
The battle before India today is not simply political. It is a battle for the imagination of its youth.
Those who succeed will not necessarily be the ones who shout the loudest, make headlines or draw the largest crowds. They will be the ones who convince young Indians that their greatest contribution to the nation lies not merely in protesting against its failures, but in building its future.
(Deepika Bhan can be contacted at deepika.b@ians.in)
–IANS
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