My dear Gen Z,
I am indebted to you, today. What you have done has no parallels to what my generation, the Gen X, has ever achieved. You have ignited the soul of India, the world’s oldest and largest democracy. You have awakened a nation, long in slumber. You have consecrated the conscience of our country, defiled with blind faith, greed and selfishness.
So, thank you.
While you have been at the receiving end, I witnessed the beginning of this age when it all started, when this evil began to first breathe and held our nation bewitched for so long. Ah! I was of your age then.
Our nation painstakingly built what our constitution stands for. Democracy, secularism, and individual rights, of these ideals our land was a crucible from time immemorial. Think of Vedanta, of Tripitakas, and many philosophical/spiritual traditions of the ‘argumentative Indians’ fame. We produced inexhaustible, comprehensive and intricate thoughts on polity, social mores and personal liberation. Yet, I saw it all dismantled. I witnessed these magnificent edifices crumble one by one when the thicket of ignorance, blinding faith and gluttony began to set in on 1.8 billion.
My generation, Gen X, was stupefied when glitters of ‘development’ shone on our eyes. We stood dazed for decades, gagged with irrationality. Many of us are in torpor of complacency still. And, here you are, my dear Gen Z, taking on the mantle for us and our children.
So, thank you.
Finally, as your elder brother, I have this to say. It is not about the evil pawns, but the current that generated their motley cohort. Believe me, most of them are riding the wave. As soon as it turns, so shall many decamp. You see, it is inherent to cowards, opportunists and the compromised.
My dear Gen Z. You rave. You make merry of your youth. You explore. All the yardsticks of yesteryears have rotten. You be the rebel who dictates your own terms. You dissent, resist and invent. You be Gen Z.
And, for taking on the baton that laid forsaken for so long. Thank you, once again.
Your brother in gratitude,
Lhundup Gyalpo
Lhundup Gyalpo is the author of Bettys Butter Tea – Stories from Ladakh.