When NEET became DIRTY

It is the 80^th Independence Day of India on 15^th August, 2026. It marks the completion of 79 years since we became independent of British colonial rule. Just like when we celebrate the birthday of an elder in the family, can we pause and celebrate all that we have achieved in the last 79 years?

We are the fourth largest economy in the world. We have made huge advancements in infrastructure, digital technology and space exploration. The Indian UPI is one of a kind. The simplest achievements like electricity and potable water reaching each household in the country really touch my heart. The huge network of roads, railways and airways that have made travel so much easier for the common man are something that benefits all. Everyone has a bank account. Almost everyone has a mobile phone. Little things, but I think they are really big. The list is long … so much to celebrate and be grateful for.

We are perhaps the only country in the world that reveres our country as a living entity – A Mother. We say, “Bharat Mata ki Jai!” Because we as a race have been taught to revere all elders and whoever nourishes or looks out for us. That’s why we say Mother Nature, Ganga Maiya, Gau Mata, Maa Saraswati, Durga Maa, Dharti Maa …

Similarly, we revere all elderly males as fathers. We refer to Lord Shiva as the Adi-Purush or first man or primordial being. In the villages, we still find children addressing all elders as Chacha-Chachi because our ancient culture is prevalent and preserved to some extent in the lesser-educated strata of society.

Does this boil down to the fact that with modern education, we lose touch with our values and culture? Why does that happen? It happens because the modern parent leaves education in its totality to the schools. Sadly, the schools, in their endeavour to complete the course curriculum, may not find time to infuse values in children. Teaching human values and character building has been left totally to the parents. But parenting is the last thing young parents find time for. They have too much to achieve while juggling housework, demanding careers, social engagements, etc. Perhaps we have forgotten that human values make us valuable humans.

The basic human values of respect for elders, honesty, duty, humility, hard work, etc. have to be infused into the character of children for them to become good citizens and good humans. AI can do almost everything, but AI can’t replace humans. Neither can it infuse values in humans. Such humans have to be groomed, one day at a time, with patience, commitment and love. Humans of good character are the need of the hour for a better world.

In the last month, we saw a sample of our youth on the streets of Delhi. Without going into the obnoxious vocabulary and body language of the so-called NEET students, I would only say that whatever happened was shameful and painful for anyone who has even an iota of love and respect for our motherland. It showed the dark side of the minds of the youth. It showcased the dearth of human values in them. This is a huge cause for concern. Where are we headed?

When a child of class 3 is taught to write a letter to an elder, the opening line would say, ‘Respected Sir/Madam’. This is the basic courtesy taught to a student about how an elder is to be addressed. But when students come on the roads and address an elected representative holding the highest executive office in the country, in words that are the exact opposite of ‘Respected’, what does one gauge about their upbringing? If a child behaves badly, it is often said, “What did your parents teach you?”

When ‘Respected’ became disrespected; when respect was strewn and battered down on the streets, there was a huge loss of dignity for the nation. It showed the gross downfall in the values of the youth. I wonder if the parents of those who used filthy language felt ashamed? If yes, it’s a wake-up call for them to take charge of their progeny. And if they applauded them, it’s an even graver cause for concern.

It is said that if you give a gift to someone and the other declines to accept it, it comes back to you. I would prefer to think that the respected Prime Minister refused to accept the abuses so unceremoniously hurled at him, and returned them respectfully to the orators.

If you spot a cockroach in your house, what do you do? Pet it? Pat it? Or? What does one say of the dignity of a man who comes onscreen and describes the protesting youngsters as ‘misguided youth’; not enemies? He said that youngsters tend to make mistakes; we should guide them with compassion rather than meting out punishments. He referred to an ancient analogy that if the tongue gets bitten by the teeth, we don’t break the teeth to punish them because the teeth also belong to us. And he forgives them! And he is worried about their future! Amazing to say the least.

Each of us would have read about the freedom struggle, and the sacrifices made by our elders to get independence. Over the past 79 years, many a Jawan has made the supreme sacrifice while guarding the borders, while facing terrorism or protecting law and order in the country.

No one should ever have to live in a subjugated state. Let us cherish and value our independence and not indulge in anything that makes our sovereignty vulnerable. This time the danger is more palpable from within than from outside. It’s like an autoimmune disease that gnaws at our insides.

Let us reinvoke in ourselves and instil in our progeny the values that made our country great. India is great because of what is intrinsically ours. Our culture, our value system, the Vedic knowledge of geography, astronomy, biology, astrophysics, the ancient knowledge of Yoga, Ayurveda, Meditation and many more. The more we ape the West, the more our progeny is affected by Western culture, and the weaker we become. Let’s own, claim and live by what is ours; let’s be proud of what we are.

All Gen Z are not the same. Three 16-year-old Indian students won the global ‘The Earth Prize 2026’ by using ground tamarind seeds to clean up microplastics from water. Watching families in rural India drink unfiltered water from shared plastic containers, they made a cheap, accessible solution.

The real NEET students went on to appear for the rescheduled exam and further went for counselling. It’s the idle minds that came out to dirty the streets. The idle mind is surely the devil’s workshop.

Let us be grateful for our strengths and celebrate our Independence Day in its true spirit by saluting those who fought for it. Let us not be ungrateful … let us be proud of our great motherland. Bharat Mata ki Jai! Jai Hind!

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Published in Daily Guardian on 13.08.2026 https://epaper.thedailyguardian.com/2026/08/12/e-paper-today-delhi-13-august-2026/