Mushtaq Hurra
Tenebrous and unlit stars snatch grace and grandeur of the prodigious sky, and make it look shabby, dull and mundane. It is not the boundless and mammoth size of the sky that makes it a cosmic wonder, it is rather the illumination and radiance of the stars that bestows it awe and grace in the entire cosmos. The same holds true for a nation. Youth are like the stars of a nation that burn their midnight oil to brighten up dark and gloomy shades of the people they belong to. They lit up a country the way stars embellish and adorn the firmament. History bears witness to the fact that fate of nation is not scribed by its wealth, but by its resolute youth. The nations that are dictating terms to the world are blessed with focused and determined youth who chase bigger destinations with an iron will and unwavering resolution.
A nation is sure to crumble and crash if its youth are procrastinating and reclining against soft pillows. Alama Iqbal RA has sneered and taken a jibe at such people : Tairay Soofay Hai’n Afrangi, Tairay Qaleen Irani; Lahoo Mujh Ko Rulati Hai Jawaanu’n Ki Tann Aasani. ( Your Divans are testament to western flair, your carpets are woven with Iranian mystic air; The ease that cradles you, young heart, brings me to tears.) Our youth are liesurely and complacently scrolling up and down their smartphone screens. Our youth are busy in wasting their productive and fecund time on browsing and surfing the unnecessary and vulgar web pages. It has not just impaired and spoiled them as individuals, but has caused an irreparable damage to our social and moral fabric as well. Crime graph in our part of the globe has witnessed a steep surge. Molestation bids, rapes, murders, dacoities and stabbing attempts by young people are gaining momentum.
The people who are supposed to be busy in libraries and laboratories, are scavenging on carcasses like vultures and crows. Posting selfies and reels on different social media platforms is sucking their absolute energies. The social media hangover has blunted their proficiencies and ceased their potentials. They are lingering, dawdling and trailing behind the others. Books and studies are not their priorities and first love. They are driven by illusionary whims and fantasies of paracosm. They live in a state of stupefaction, which pushes them further into oblivion. They are not just wasting their time, they are rather betraying their nations, squandering their resources and shattering their hopes. So, the shirking and lethargic approach of our youth is a treason and a serious breach of trust.
Our indolent and torpid youth do not stop here. They have ditched themselves deeper. Yes, they have fallen prey to the ugly pangs of drug abuse and illicit trafficking. The menace is taking dangerous proportions like a wildfire. According to stats provided by the ministry of social justice and empowerment, government of India, there are over 13.5 lakh drug abusers in our Jammu and Kashmir. The ministry elucidates that 1, 68, 700 children in the age group of 10-17 consume drugs.These figures are terribly high and scary. The numbers surge with every passing day. The ministry reports that eight thousand children use cannabis, ninety five thousand use opioids, nineteen thousand use sedatives, about one hundred consume cocaine, four hundred plus take amphetamine type stimulants ( ATS ), forty six thousand switch to inhalants and two hundred make use of hallucinogens. Almost fourteen lakh people are drug abusers in our UT. People that supposed to possess iron muscles, are waning in rehabilitation centres and hospitals. They continue to be the deadly parasites who sip the blood of their old parents. Drug addicts end up as liabilities for families as well as societies.
A calamity is in the making. A crippled generation is taking over the reigns of our future, distracted by the illusions and fantasies, they haven’t learnt the art to row the boat in tornadoes and hurricanes. Termite of laxity, coupled with venom of drug abuse, smoking and drinking, has drained their energies off, hollowed their bones, frozen their blood, and hallucinated their vision. Our necks are destined to the yoke of slavery and servitude for our somnolent youth. The puppets of social media platforms take pride in effeminate gestures. A generation of buffoons and clowns can’t liberate and emancipate us from the cruel pangs of superstitions, bondage, backwardness, academic decline and scientific slump. We are caught up in the quagmire of uncertainty and oblivion for their sluggish attitude.
We must devise strategies, adopt pragmatic approach, come forward to the rescue of our own, before it is too late. Angels and prophets won’t be descended from heavens for our enlightenment and admonition. Let’s all join hands to restore the glory of the elegantly rich civilization that has produced the proud sons like Sultan Zainul Abideen and Raja Lalta Datiya. Let’s revive the legacy of values and ethics laid down by Shaikhul-Alam (AR), Makhdoom Sahab (AR) and Lalded. Let’s teach our children the truest tenets and maxims of humanity. Our complacency, insensitivity and callousness will worsen the situation. The fury of vulgarism, indecency, immodesty and drug addiction will gulp us if we do not stand firm against the evils and the malicious habits of our youth.
The Author is a Teacher and a Regular Columnist. He can be reached at mushtaqhurra143@gmail.com
