This statistic holds promise for the future, as young people are often seen as the drivers of change, progress, and innovation. However, despite this significant demographic advantage, it is puzzling to see a lack of capable and talented young leaders emerging to guide the nation forward. One reason could be the lack of opportunities and resources available to the youth. Another reason could be the cultural and societal expectations placed on young individuals. Furthermore, corruption and nepotism within the political and social systems can also discourage young, honest and well-educated individuals from entering leadership positions. However, it is essential to recognize that there are also positive signs of change. With the rise of social media and technology, young Indians are increasingly finding platforms to express their views, engage in socio-political discourse, and advocate for change. 
Sameedha P. Batthe (15)
School of Scholars, Wanadongri, Nagpur

Today, politics in India has become a dirty business. Almost all political parties are filled with dubious people with multiple criminal and civil cases. When any bright, honest person joins politics, he has to join a party, and as soon as he joins a party, he gets threats. An honest person cannot survive and flourish in a party without money support or support from other powerful leaders, and no parents would want their child to get threats.
Yuvraj Singh Rajput (12)
Notre Dame School, New Delhi

This youth bulge is often considered a valuable asset for the nation’s progress. However, despite the abundance of young, honest, talented, and well-educated individuals, there is a notable absence of their active participation in leadership roles.
Traditional Mindsets and Hierarchical Structures: One of the significant challenges hindering the ascent of young leaders in India is the prevalence of traditional mindsets and hierarchical structures within various spheres of society. Established norms often favour experience over innovation, leading to a reluctance to entrust leadership roles to the younger generation.
Political Landscape and Dynastic Politics: In the political arena, the influence of dynastic politics remains a prominent barrier to the rise of young leaders. By recognizing and nurturing the leadership capabilities of the younger generation, India can unlock its full potential and pave the way for a brighter, more dynamic future.
Priya Raj (14)
St Joseph’s Convent High School, Jethuli, Patna

Sometimes it can be puzzling why young, honest, talented, and well-educated individuals in India aren’t stepping up to lead the country, despite the fact that a large portion of the population is under the age of 35. It’s possible that limited opportunities and support for young leaders might be discouraging them. Additionally, the complexities and challenges of politics can be daunting for anyone, especially for those who are just starting their careers. It’s crucial to create an environment that nurtures and empowers young leaders.
Palak Roy (14)
Notre Dame School, Badarpur, New Delhi

The average age of MPs in India is 57, while the average age of an Indian is 28. This clearly suggests that the youth of our country are quite uninterested in politics. We have a general perception that states that one cannot get into politics without getting one’s hands dirty. Also, the current scenario depicts that it is actually the old political families who are governing our country. Nowadays, the youth lack the chief traits of leadership, which are, communication skills and effective campaigns. One needs to face a lot of challenges, travel constantly and put efforts on the ground level. Despite toiling so hard, there is no guarantee of being a familiar face to the public. Thus, most of the Indians, though ambitious, prefer not to lead our country.
Anwesha Ajay (13)
St Joseph’s Convent High School, Jethuli, Patna

The lack of young, talented, and well-educated individuals coming forward to lead our country in spite of India’s significant youth population is a complex issue. Possible reasons could include limited opportunities for political engagement, a lack of trust in the existing political system, or a preference for other career paths. It is crucial to address these barriers and create an environment that encourages and supports young leaders to step forward and contribute to the nation’s progress.
Babatto Baby (14)
St Michael’s Anglo Indian High School, Kannur, Kerala

Some of the reasons why good and educated people stay away from politics are:

1. When good people enter politics with the intention of doing something good for their nation they are suppressed and oppressed by unscrupulous politicians.
2. Politics is not everyone’s cup of tea. Educated people are very conscious about their image. Politics is risky, but they don’t want to take a risk.
3. Politics require large amounts of money and not everyone is affluent.
4. Politicians over-promise and lie to get elected. They have manipulative and deceitful skills. Nowadays, politics has become a haven for thugs and criminals. That’s the reason why educated people keep away from politics.
   Sneha Sharma (15)
   St Mary’s Convent Inter College, Prayagraj

Since our democracy has become riddled with casteism, nepotism, racism and criminalisation, young, honest, talented and well-educated people are not coming forward to join politics and lead our county. Lack of political consciousness and vouch for having leadership quality is another reason for this trend. Besides this, most of our youngsters belong to such economic class which compels them to secure life through jobs and refrain from choosing politics as a career.
Aditi Shekhar (14)
St Joseph’s Convent High School, Jethuli, Patna, Bihar

Today, young minds prefer to settle in other countries rather than getting engaged in political affairs. Social expectations and family obligations might steer young individuals toward more conventional and stable career paths rather than the unpredictable nature of politics. It is also very difficult for young and talented people to rise in the political conflict, as most Indians vote based only on religion and caste, which is not fruitful for our country. The existing political landscape might be perceived as challenging with complexities, corruption and bureaucracy deterring potential political leaders. Addressing these issues may lead to an improvement in our political system.
Aadya Kumar (13)
St Joseph’s Convent High School, Jethuli, Patna

Brain drain has been a very important issue for India in recent years; many talented Indian minds are working for other countries. India is losing its young population, drastically. This could be due to:

1. Higher standard of living.
2. Good employment opportunities and higher salary.
3. Better medical, education and recreational facilities.
4. Autonomy and liberty in dissemination of information.
5. Advanced technology and hospitable working conditions.
6. Less population and strain on social amenities.
7. Secure economic and political conditions.
   Sara Tamseel Khwaja (14)
   St Joseph’s Convent High School, Bankipore, Patna

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Arya Rajendran, a second year student of B.Sc. Mathematics at the All Saints’ College, Thiruvananthapuram, Kerala, created history by becoming the youngest Mayor in the State of Kerala and possibly in the whole of India after Suman Koli (elected Mayor from Rajasthan’s Bharatpur in 2009). Ms Rajendran was sworn in as the Mayor of the Thiruvananthapuram Municipal Corporation on 24 December 2020, after she was elected a Corporator from the Mudavanmughal ward of the city.

Her father, Mr Rajendran, is an electrician, by profession, and her mother, Sreelatha, an insurance agent. Her brother, Aaravind, is an automobile engineer. Following her parents’ footsteps, Arya embarked on her political career very early in life. She joined Balasangam, the world’s largest children’s organization, affiliated to the Communist Party of India (CPM), as a child activist when she was in the fifth standard. She is now the state president of Balasangam.

After she joined All Saints’ College in 2019 as an undergraduate student, Arya became a member of the Students Federation of India (SFI), the students’ wing of the CPI-M.

Arya is a born leader and has always worked democratically with peers, encouraging other students and listening attentively to the opinions of others. Arya is also a conscientious, hard-working and self-motivated student. She has always displayed admirable self-discipline and is considered a valued member of the class by her teachers and companions.

The Mayor-student Arya Rajendran spoke to The Teenager Today in an exclusive interview given to the magazine, within a few days of her taking over as the Mayor of Thiruvananthapuram Corporation. She spoke extensively to the magazine’s representative about her early days as a child activist as a member of Balasangam, her frank opinion about students entering active politics, and about her personal take on violent protests and destruction of public property by agitating students, and members of students unions often patronised by different political parties. Excerpts from the interview.

You hold the unique distinction of being the youngest Mayor of a Municipal Corporation in the whole of India. You are certainly an icon and a role model for all young people in the country. Please tell us about how you came to be involved in politics from a very young age? Were your parents supportive of you?
I was born into a leftist political family. My parents are members of the Communist Party of India Marxist, CPI (M), for nearly three decades. I followed my parents’ footsteps. That is why I joined the Balasangam, the world’s largest children’s organization, affiliated to the CPI-M, as a child activist when I was in the fifth standard.

Did your active involvement in Balasangam come, any time, in the way of your studies?
I think political awareness and involvement in politics can and should go hand-in-hand with studies. There is no need to let off either of the two, and there can always be ways to balance the two. I have found it possible to spend time for both and I encourage students to do the same.

Do you think that the organisation has played a major role in shaping your thinking, and in developing your personality and leadership qualities?
It is the organization and my involvement with Balasangam that has given me the confidence and the experience in handling the new role that I don today. With humility I would like to say that whatever good qualities I have picked up as a person and as a leader, Balasangam has had a major role to play in it.

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The Indian masses once again proved themselves wise, this year, by giving the Narendra Modi-led government, already for five years in power, yet another term to govern the country. Rather than accepting gracefully the people’s verdict, the opposition tried to place the blame for their defeat at the doorsteps of the Election Commissioner and on the faulty EVM machines. But, it had very few takers, as it could not be conclusively proved.

Was it a pro-Modi wave, once again, that brought the ruling alliance to power? In spite of the fact, the five-year term of the previous government was more a term of empty promises, high-sounding slogans rather than good governance, the opposition had nothing better to offer. The Indian voters clearly understood this, and gave Narendra Modi yet another term.

While the ruling alliance had agreed that if voted to power, Narendra Modi will be their Prime Ministerial Candidate, on the other side of the fence, no one could say who will be the Prime Minister, if the Congress-led opposition alliance comes to power: will it be Rahul Gandhi, the Congress President, U.P.’s Mayawati or West Bengal’s Mamata Banerjee, Delhi’s Kejriwal, or Andhra Pradesh’s Chandra Babu Naidu, Telengana’s Chandra Shekhar Rao, who were all making clever moves targeting the coveted office, or at least to be kingmakers! Thankfully, the Indian voters threw them all out!

Prime Minister Modi has now begun his second term in office giving the country signs of fresh hope with his new Mantra: Sabke Saath, Sabka Vikas, Sabka Vishwas! Will this be yet another slogan for large-size hoardings only placed at every nook and corner of the country, or will the Prime Minister really stand by his word and take the country to newer heights? The youth of the nation is waiting in the wings to see the Prime Minister’s new move in that direction!

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In today’s world, politics has unfortunately become the most unethical profession. To carry forward their agenda, politicians now use religion to polarise people. Religion is meant to unite people, not to divide them. Mixing religion with politics would only escalate the feelings of insecurity among people and destroy the constitutional set-up. Let’s not forget that we were always known for “unity in diversity” and so it is high time that we ask our politicians to stop mixing religion with politics.
Prince Joseph (17)
V Care International School, Surat

A secular state has no official religion. It allows equal freedom of worship to all. A secular state is not anti-religion. In fact, “it is neither religious nor irreligious or anti-religious, but it is wholly detached from religious dogmas. Our views on secularism can be summed up in the phrase ‘Sarwa Dharma Sambhava’: that is equal respect for all religions. Unfortunately, caste has become a significant factor in electoral politics.
Deepal (14)
St Joseph’s Convent School, Jalandhar

Politics should have nothing to do with religion. We have a democratic type of government; politics is directly related to the people, not to any particular religion. One may not have the required leadership skills but is still being voted to power just because of the religion he/she belongs to. Politicians often make decisions favouring their religion. They make decisions for the advantage of the people of their religion and not for the good of the entire nation. India is a secular nation; politics should not be mixed with religion as it creates a sense of division among the people.
Ananya Bachani
Sophia Girls’ Sr. Sec. School, Bhilwara

In India, the Constitution is the supreme law, and distortion of this prime law is not acceptable. As elections are looming near, politicians are making every possible effort to get votes. They use religion as a weapon to divide and create hostilities among people, causing harm to the secular fabric of our country. We have the power to choose our leaders. Let’s ask ourselves, ‘Do we want to be carried away in the name of religion?’
Dhanya Jha
St Francis’ Convent Inter College, Jhansi

Mixing politics with religion was one of the reasons for the partition of the country into India and Pakistan. Leaders have the duty of bringing the people together and not separating them in the name of religion. One must enter the polling booth as an Indian and not as a Sikh, Hindu, Muslim or Christian. Every single vote ensures the prospect of having good governance.
Anahit Sandhu (14)
St Joseph’s Convent School, Jalandhar

The word ‘secular’ is not a mere word in our Constitution. It is the principle by which our country is governed. How will a country ever progress and prosper if its leaders are not concerned about the welfare of the people? Our politicians use religion as a bait to woo voters. This creates a big gap between different religions and this often leads to mob violence. Mixing religion with politics amounts to not only distortion but also violation of the secular nature of our Constitution.
Tridib Das (14)
Don Bosco High School, Lichubari, Jorhat

Politics and religion serve humanity in different ways. Because human systems are imperfect and prone to degeneration, those systems should be kept as separate as possible allowing them to function properly to achieve their different goals. Both systems can fail. And then you have hell! People may give preference to religion. This would ultimately result in the distortion of the secularism of the country, and the Constitution would remain meaningless.
Gargi Kothe (14)
Agragami Convent School Mhasala, Wardha

India is a country where people of various religions live together in peace. Our politicians are destroying this peace by mixing politics with religion. This is a cheap act used by various political groups during elections to get votes. The basis of politics is power and the basis of religion is faith; if power starts influencing faith then it can be disastrous.
Tanmay Shukla (14)
Jeevan Marg Sophia Sec. School, Deoria

“Ram Mandir! No! It’s our Masjid; you will bear the consequences, just wait and watch!” This is what we hear every day now on news channels. Politics and religion when mingled disturb the secular nature of our country and its Constitution. Every religion believes in God. Why do our ‘leaders’ fight in the name of God?
Sargun Saini (14)
St Joseph’s Convent School, Jalandhar

India has no state religion; all citizens have the freedom to follow any religion of their choice. The government must treat all religions with equal respect. Below are examples where politics is recklessly mixed with religion:

• Communalism by political parties to increase their vote bank.
• “Slaughtering of cows” is a storm in a tea cup, it actually isn’t worth the controversy it gained.
• Mob lynching and honour killing are on the increase by leaps and bounds.

The above are just the tip of the iceberg and the roots are solely linked to mixing politics with religion. This will surely hinder the progress of our country and prove to be a threat to the Indian Constitution.
Riza Khan (15)
St Francis’ Convent Inter College, Jhansi

Political parties should be concerned with development, human rights, law and order, justice, education, health, economic growth, etc. If any religion violates the Constitution, the lawmakers must take strong action without thinking about their vote bank benefits.
Hemakshi Kapoor (14)
St Anthony’s Jr College, Agra

Our freedom fighters dreamt of an independent India where the Constitution will defend democracy and secularism. But, secularism has become a mere farce in our country today. Political leaders are mixing politics with religion to set public opinion in their favour. This gives rise to communalism and prejudices against others’ religion and community. Our political system and Constitution should be kept away from religion in order to prevent hurting the religious sentiments of others and giving rise to biased decisions by the government.
Alisha Agarwal
St Anthony’s Jr College, Agra

In India ‘secularism’ is in serious danger. Our political leaders do not believe in the ideals of secularism because that would not allow them to engage in the politics of religion, and the politics of religious identity. Secularism does not mean being ‘bereft of religion’, secular implies not using private affairs of an individual for political mileage (vote bank).
Taru Jain
Sophia Girls’ Sr. Sec. School, Bhilwara

Religion and politics must be kept separate. Religion is meant to unite people with similar beliefs into a moral community. Politics, on the other hand, is meant to unite people of a country into a single community, regardless of personal beliefs and practices. When the two are mixed, the results are bound to be disastrous.
Nirbhay Kumar Singh (13)
Jeevan Marg Sophia Sec. School, Deoria

Politics should have nothing to do with a citizen’s choice of religion. Pursuit of religion is for personal transcendence and has nothing to do with the world of politics. When politicians play with people’s beliefs and faith, the secular nature of our country as well as its reputation is distorted.
Samridhi Goyal (14)
St Anthony’s Jr College, Agra

India is a secular country because all religions are considered equal by the state. But our politicians, for their advantage violate this by differentiating us on the basis of religion, which contaminates Indian politics and disturbs the secular nature of the country. Government’s unwanted interference leads to hatred among the people and hinders the growth of the nation.
Keshav Agrawal (14)
Jeevan Marg Sophia Sec. School, Deoria

The most important aspect of secularism is separation of religion from the state power. Strangely our politicians ask for votes on the basis of religion. The issue of Ram Mandir is raised during elections to get votes and then relegated to the deep recesses of oblivion. Religion should be separated from politics for our country to function democratically.
Tanisha (14)
St Joseph’s Convent School, Jalandhar

Mixing of politics and religion leads to religious disharmony and may further lead to violence. Mixing politics with religion is equal to identifying a person by his religion or caste and ignoring his talents and potentials.
Isha Inani
Sophia Girls’ Sr. Sec. School, Bhilwara

Mixing religion with politics affects the decisions of citizens particularly during election time. Politicians use religion as a tool just to gain votes. Often we blame politicians but we forget that we are the ones who chose them as our leaders.
Ayushmaan Baranwal (14)
Jeevan Marg Sophia Sec. School, Deoria

The post Mixing politics with religion appeared first on The Teenager Today.

People of many religions live in India. Religion has been exploited by the politicians to cause riots and to excite one set of people against another on the basis of religion. We are all equal. It is in the constitution that India is a secular country but religion is exploited by the politicians to gain votes. If we want our country to be politically sound then religion should not be exploited. Religion is one’s own personal belief and should be left to oneself.
Gunika Sohal (13)
St Joseph’s Convent School, Jalandhar

Of course, our political system is influenced by religion. Religion has badly affected the political system of our country. Elections, employment, acquiring approval; in all these religion plays a major role. Leaders don’t work according to the need of the nation but for the religion. Every political leader should have just one religion — Indian!
Sejal Shingne (15)
Fatima Convent School, Achalpur

Since the freedom movement, Indian politics has polarised the society on religious lines. The Supreme Court has held that politicians making religious appeals is not in line with the spirit of the Constitution. If the education could promote fraternity among all religions, people would be immune to political rhetoric. A responsible media that highlights religious harmony over partisanship is welcome.
Shailja Pandey (20)
Nainital

Indian politics run on caste and religion. Every religion wants to establish their supremacy over the other at state level as well as at the national level, there are political parties based on religion. Many people vote on the basis of religion and to the person belonging to their religion. In my view religion based politics is harmful, it divides the citizens.
Deepal (14)
St Joseph’s Convent School, Jalandhar

Religion has strong influence on Indian politics. Religious intolerance and fanaticism affect our social life. We all should understand that religion teaches us honesty, kindness and love to all. Politicians must try to remain unbiased and maintain communal harmony.
Mukhlisa Tasrin (20)
Jagannath Barooah College, Jorhat

Before the British Raj, though rulers promoted various religions, they did not mingle politics or administration with religion. Followers of different religions enjoyed the same political freedom. The British policy of ‘Divide and Rule’ marked the beginning of influence of religion on Indian politics.
Sukanya Basu Mallik (19)
Techno India College

It would be ignorant to say that Indian politics is not influenced by religion or caste. Religious sentiments are used for building vote banks. The concept of pseudo-secularism emerged because of the involvement of religion in the sphere of Indian politics. All these states of affairs raise one question — is India truly a secular country?
Anushri Shukla
IMS Unison University, Dehradun

Unfortunately Indian politics has been influenced by religion right from the beginning. Many political parties promise to focus on the development of particular groups of people. However, the impact of religion has often sidelined national issues like economic welfare of the nation as a whole, women empowerment and national security. Even though India is the biggest democracy and a secular country, vote bank policies based on religion have caused violence, riots, attacks and mob killing. For a better India, politics should be made free of religion.
Ira Bhatia (13)
St Joseph’s Convent School, Jalandhar

I believe that it does play a major role. Politicians taking advantage of human emotions in the name of God is really a sin and in no way it is going to be helpful for anyone. The real politics is to find solutions for people’s problems and not using religious emotions of people for personal benefit.
Milan Patel
Saranathan College of Engineering, Tiruchirappalli

Religion is considered to be the best way for any politician to make himself/herself established. They do not care if they cause tension between the society and country. As persons living in 2018, we are really not interested in religious politics. So now it’s high time for politicians to understand that this way of politics is not going to succeed.
Sonali Garg (18)
Notre Dame School, New Delhi

India stands heavily on these two things: religion and politics. Though religion was given a special place to influence politics positively, it is affecting politics negatively. There have been certain situations where religion is supposed to give a significant resolution regarding politics; however, it gives contradicting statements and provoking political violence and conflicting situations. Hence it is necessary to strive hard to separate religion and politics to bring about secularism that is more feasible for a pluralistic society.
Shweta Mhatre
Mumbai University

India is a democratic and secular country yet there are people belonging to different religions. The government takes various initiatives to treat every citizen with equality and dignity. And for the betterment of the nation people of all religions work together. Though Hindus are in majority, government of India has taken initiatives for the betterment of the people belonging to various religions and has appointed persons of various religions in prominent positions of our nation.
Nandini Sharma (13)
St Joseph’s Convent School, Jalandhar

It should be known that religion and politics are inseparable. It is good if politicians take guidance from religion but if a politician is biased towards any particular religion, then the country is in for a downfall. The 21st century has seen a change of mindset among Indians. The politicians are more mature in their decisions and do not let religion interfere with politics.
Gouri Basavaraj Indi (18)
KLE Society’s Lingaraj College of Arts and Commerce

Religion plays an important role in Indian politics. It teaches us honesty, truthfulness, tolerance, kindness and love for all. A politician is the representative of the people, and he can use the spirit of religion to promote communal harmony. But if a politician is biased in favour of a religion that can never be good for all. The spirit of religion gives inner revelation and politics protects rights of the people. It is the duty of politicians to remain unbiased and maintain communal harmony.
Rahat Pruthi (13)
St Joseph’s Convent School, Jalandhar

The political system of India is democracy — It is “The government of the people, for the people, by the people.” So according to me religion should not be given space in politics. It is of immense importance to end this. Let people feel safe and secure and free to follow any religion and not be forced to vote according to religion. The solution to the problem is that political parties need to stop supporting a specific religion and work for the benefit of the people.
Dhwani K. Thacker (16)
J. N. Tata Parsi Girls’ Junior College, Nagpur

For a pluralistic society secularism would be more suitable than religion based politics. Yet in India, religion is very much part of the national politics. In such situation the wisdom available in religions can contribute to political wisdom and society should be alert to prevent any political war that originates or is linked to religion.
Sarah Chaudhary (15)
Mary Immaculate Girls’ High School, Kalina

In India, politics and religion have been supporting each other. The recent riot in Mumbai between Marathas and Dalits is a clear cut indication pointing out the need to keep up the secular wave in the world’s largest democracy. Blind faith in religion is often seen as a force that moves people to action. Such religion-mixed politics has caused intolerance towards other religions, communal hatred and civil rebellion. History repeats itself. And fearfully I ask myself, “Are we heading for yet another division?”
Pahul Sond (19)
Christ University, Bangalore

In my opinion, there is influence of religion on politics. At the time of the elections, the candidates attack the religious feelings of people to gain votes. Religion and politics is a recipe for disaster. I think this is the reason that India in spite of being very resourceful is still suffering. Due to the grip of religion on people in India, people practise it with devotion but political parties mix religion with politics for their gain.
Navya Bhardwaj (14)
St Joseph’s Convent School, Jalandhar

Ours is a democratic nation with diverse cultures and religions. The political parties taking advantage of this situation support a particular religion or give special facilities and amenities to those who belong to it. Such a mentality destroys the peace and unity amongst the people.
Senjuti Saibal Bhattacharya (17)
St Joseph’s High School & Jr. College, Navi Mumbai

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