GenNow Funda: God is cool

[Guest guest]

GenNow Funda: God is cool

 

Deepti Kaul (HindustanTimes.com)

 

New Delhi, October 30, 2005

 

"Youngsters are not hypocrites. They don't believe in showing off

but believe in the truth. They seem to have a friendly relationship

with God. So, they address Lord Ganesha as Roly Poly or Hanuman as

Hanu. For them, it's the inherent respect that matters."

 

It's a common refrain: Youngsters today are too westernised. Most

parents lament: "Ask them to accompany you to the temple and they

pull a long face." So, are today's youth losing touch with religion

and culture?

 

A survey conducted by HindustanTimes.com would make you reconsider

such notions. As much as 68 per cent of today's youth believe in a

higher power, 43 per cent visit the temple everyday and around 60

per cent admit going to the temple gives them mental satisfaction.

They do want to show their devotion, they say.

 

Our survey shows that, for the youth, visiting temples or sporting

religious symbols such as a kada, a cross or a sacred thread isn't a

matter of superstition. Rather, it gives them strength. And unlike

the `trendy youngster' of the past decade, today's youth don't

consider it `downmarket' to observe fasts or rituals.

 

There is a difference, though: The young these days clearly approach

religion with a sense of logic. "Children have become more logical."

says Madhu Kansal, Principal, Delhi International School. "Their

belief in God is based on logic and analysis. They are open to

discussions and don't shy away from rituals, as was the case till a

few years back."

 

Significantly, 45 per cent of those polled felt that donning

religious prints demeaned their faith, and 36 per cent aren't

willing to use religious ringtones on their mobile phones. Their

logic: "Why show off?"

 

The new generation also loves religion in its own peculiar ways.

It's not very conservative, but many love to give nicknames to their

favourite gods — something unthinkable in the past. The sense of

faith isn't lost if there is a fun quotient in it, most of them say,

because "God is cool". Says senior BJP leader Sushma

Swaraj: "Youngsters are not hypocrites. They don't believe in

showing off but believe in the truth. They seem to have a friendly

relationship with God. So, they address Lord Ganesha as Roly Poly or

Hanuman as Hanu. For them, it's the inherent respect that matters."

 

Of course, family plays a big role in shaping beliefs. Says Pinky

Nigam, a student of Hindu College: "Family plays a crucial role and

perhaps is one of the most significant determinants of a child's

religious

 

discourse." Agrees her classmate Aishwarya Sakhuja: "If covering my

head with a dupatta and attending a pooja makes my family happy, why

not?"

 

Sociologist DL Seth of the Centre for the Study of Developing

Societies says: "Life is becoming uncertain. The youth want mental

peace. They've realised that being ritualistic doesn't mean being

superstitious."

 

Kuchipudi dancer Raja Reddy, talking of his children, says: "My

daughters, Yamini and Bhavana, want to know everything about

religious rites but have modern sensibilities. It's the same with

their dance: they know Kuchipudi but choreograph western

compositions too."

 

GenNow sure has found its own formula to face life: Blend your

religious faith with logic, draw strength from it but don't cater to

blind faith. Practice rituals if it makes your family happy —

ultimately God is a friend. And be patient, as Anura Jain, 18, sums

it up: "God can't give everything to 10 million people."

 

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