Goan Generation G A P By Mr. Plastino D'Costa
The Bollywood film 'Rock On' was a huge hit. Farhan Akhtar produced it and played the lead role. He dominated the film, even singing the title song and five other tracks. So huge was its popularity and critical acclaim, that today the 'Rock On' script is showcased in Hollywood, as part of the archive of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences. Rock On's songs were written by poet and writer Javed Akhtar, who is also Farhan's father. In the '70s Javed wrote the epic blockbuster 'Sholay' with partner Salim. Their other great scripts included 'Deewar' and 'Zanjeer'. He is now Bollywood's most sought after lyrics writer, with hits like 'Swades' and 'Dil Chahta Hai'. Javed's writing lineage can be traced back seven generations, and it is no surprise that Farhan is so talented. Farhan and Javed live in India's city of opportunity - Mumbai. If Farhan and Javed were Goans, chances are that Farhan would probably be on constant collision course with his father. The latter would scuttle all his ideas with 'great' and 'glorious' stories of the past. Frustrated, Farhan would eventually pack his bags and move out of Goa in search of greener pastures. The clock would have stopped on Javed's success, if he chose to stay in Goa. He would be entangled in political games played by the GenerationPast, disturbing his creative mind. The only choices would be to leave the system or adjust to mediocrity. Sad but true; this is Goa. Highly talented individuals quietly leave Goa, unable to work around the bottlenecks of GenerationPast. They then settle in places where their talent is better appreciated. The loss is Goa's. Our obsession for insignificant details and purposeless regulations has lost us the big picture. Young talent is too fettered by rules. We have a dearth of new ideas. A system with too much policy is not necessarily a smart system. The exodus of young talented individuals has widened the gap between GenerationNext and Generation Past, both physically and mentally. Young Goans are sidelined; they have hardly any say in decisions affecting the future of Goa. Were any youngsters taken into confidence when an international language was dropped for the mother tongue as the compulsory medium of instruction in government-aided primary schools? Take an unbiased survey among 18 to 21 years olds and ask which language they prefer. Most of GenerationPast is resigned to the belief that their family can progress only by sending their sons and daughters away from Goa. This also gives elders complete power. Otherwise, how can one explain a mother coaxing her son the very day after he arrives from out of the clutches of sea pirates - freed by the intervention of the Prime Minister's Office - that he must return? Let's not fool ourselves. She isn't persuading her son to join a battle to save the country. The family is too used to foreign remittances, even if it means sending their children into harm's way. Some Goan politicians say they are promoting their children. This is an eyewash. Instead of surrendering their own seats to their children, they actually try to increase their political footprint by getting their children elected from a neighboring constituency. That way, they can control two or more constituencies; have their cake and eat it too. The government also contributes to the Generation Gap. The old-but-not-needy of GenerationPast get Social Security, but there's no sign of an allowance for the genuinely educated unemployed. Our politicians should thank their stars that they are not in a developed country, where unemployment numbers are published weekly and politicians are held accountable for any significant rise in numbers. Forget corruption, nepotism, red tape. Goa's politicians don't deserve to be elected on the single count of not creating enough jobs for the youth. They have cleverly made sure things remain in a permanent flux, so that ambitious youth should leave Goa for their careers. Youth who choose to stay and perform in Goa are usually overlooked, discriminated against or intimidated. Laxmikant Shetgaonkar's wonderful film gets recognition in faraway Canada, but not here. But now the writing is on the wall. GenerationNext wants a level playing field, to perform without sucking up to the political class. Some gap between generations is natural in a society that promotes independent thinking. But there are places like Carmona, in South Goa. This village exports its scarce educated youth out of Goa. Those who stay back are at the mercy of village elders. No wonder a movement against a mega project has failed to pick up steam; the village is controlled by elders who lack the virtue of the youth. Gram Sabhas are stage managed and manipulated. In many Carmona families, Generation Past is more educated then the children. Was this intentionally done so the elders can call the shots till eternity? Politicians are always on the prowl to broker big deals in land-scarce Carmona, because there are few educated youth in the village; the old think-tank decides! A modern hall finds favour over a modern educational institute - could it fit in their greater scheme of keeping the village largely uneducated? Even an all-Goa topper from the village cannot effect any change! The odd educated youth who decides to leave the village for a career may never want to return. A healthy Generation Gap would have encouraged debate, avoided a herd mentality and would have contributed to the village's collective wisdom. Any ideal society has both young and old. Both complement each other to achieve balance and harmony. GenerationNext is full of energy, hopes, desires, dreams; but it can also be wayward, naïve, immature and prone to mistakes. GenerationPast is experienced; a generation that may have learnt its lessons, but can also be resentful, slothful and rigid in its thinking. Both generations are important, and society benefits when both keep an open mind about each other and learn mutual respect. The old must ring in the new at the right time. In a 4x100 meter relay, the baton has to be transferred every 100 meters. Even the best runner can't win without passing the baton. You just can't beat the energy of four runners with one! We can learn a lesson from Indian corporates. Industry stalwarts have been inducting new blood. Adi Godrej of the Godrej group inducted his daughter Tanya Dubash. Shiv Nader of HCL has brought in his daughter Roshini. Azim Premji's son Rishad is being groomed to handle Wipro. Even the flamboyant Vijay Mallya has inducted his son Siddartha. In Infosys, the CEOs step aside, allowing other senior colleagues to lead. In fairness, some parents in Goa do encourage their teenage children to think independently, even opening Facebook accounts and wearing trendy clothing to 'keep up'. It does make a difference, but these are cosmetic changes. When Farhan asked Javed to write the lyrics for 'Rock On', the latter did not change from kurta-pyjama to jeans. Instead, Javed changed his mindset and thought from his son's point of view. That is why the songs and film succeeded. It is like Shakespeare writing songs for Led Zeppelin! As the title song of 'Rock On' says: "Hai yeh Waqt ka Ishara, Rock On." Above Article appeared on Herald - Goa on 1st June 2010 Archives on http://goangenerationnext.blogspot.com/2010/06/goan-generation-g-p.html
