All World
Gayatri Pariwar

  The modern age is witnessing an increasing dilution of the moral fiber among the youth. The rules of social conduct and the norms of behavior developed by tradition are breaking down. This decline is taking a heavy toll of the youth. The young are doing all this supposedly in the name of chasing illusory sensual pleasures. But this reckless path is taking them only to a mirage of momentary pleasure; they remain deprived of any lasting joy. The young today feel restless. This makes them even more reckless. Caught in this vicious cycle they are ruining their lives. This malaise is rapidly spreading across the country. After the big cities the medium, and now even the small towns are falling prey to this epidemic.

An example is illustrative of this phenomenon. Some time back the students of a school organized a ‘conti’ party. The word ‘conti’ manufactured by them is an abbreviated form of continuation. This particular school is situated in a big city and the guardians there are ready to pay anything to get their wards admitted to this school. This ‘conti’ party had been given by class XI students to the passing out XII standard students.

What is noteworthy is that this party had been organized in a disco pub. When newspaper reporters reached there they saw about 200 youngsters swinging to the tune of African pop songs amidst loud music and dense smoke-filled air. They all were attired in costly outlandish dresses and sporting flowing long hair and garish make-up. With the increasing tempo of the music, the moral restrictions evaporated into the dense air. The reporters later came to know that the school management and the guardians of those boys and girls were unaware of this party and the goings-on there. The boys and girls had themselves collected the money required to reserve the pub and organize the party.

The question is: Why such things are happening? The students dole out a readymade answer. Our guardians want us to score high grades and that we are doing. We have the ability to compete in a competitive examination. We are thus fulfilling the expectations of our guardians and our schools/colleges. If after this we go for some entertainment, what is wrong with that? Replies of this sort reflect both the false beliefs of the youth and the false expectations of the guardians and schools.

In fact, the root of the problem is the creeping distortions in the beliefs, expectations and values; completely wrong parameters for a better way of life have been formed. If the thinking itself is warped, deteriorations in character and behavior cannot be averted. Even the employed and professional young people, like the school kids, are falling prey to this depravity. The practice of live-in relationships is increasing among them. This type of relationship is gradually getting social acceptance in big cities and now they do not have to take recourse to the subterfuge of ‘we-are-cousins’ etc. The call centre jobs have become popular. ‘Easy money-easy sex’ and ‘one night stand’ are the catch words.

The crux of this moral decline lies in a wrong formulation of what constitutes a good life. Who is a good student? He who secures good marks? Now the things have come to such a pass that a student hardly hesitates to tell his parents that he had got 80 or 90 percent marks, and having done his job there should be no harm if he takes some wine or smokes a cigarette. Similarly, in the eyes of the present society and parents a smart and good youngster is one who is earning a fat pay package. Handsome earning has become the be-all-and-end-all of life. After managing a good pay packet and purchasing all the comforts of life, what this young man is exactly doing is nobody’s concern. In this distorted and narrow perception of a ‘good life’ there is no place for societal norms, let aside higher morality. The mantra is ‘I’, ‘Me’ and ‘Myself’. Hell with others and Hell with the society!

To bolster these crumbling walls of morality there is need to effect a change in current modes of thinking. In DSVV campus efforts are being made to sow the seed of such a change. Here academic merit is not the sole criterion of a student’s achievement level. It is only one aspect. At the DSVV excellence is judged on four parameters – capacity for adjustment, academic merit, social commitment and development of spiritual viewpoint. To develop all these qualities a student is taught, besides his regular subjects, also the art of living and life management skills in special classes.

In the field of adjustability come the qualities of flexibility, fellow feeling and participation in others’ pains and pleasures. This university has expanded the meaning of academic excellence too. This includes, apart from the subject content, skills in essay writing, research papers and participation in seminars, symposia etc. In the category of social commitment students go to villages and take part in activities for promoting health and elimination of social evils. For spiritual maturity the students are taught to develop an understanding of the fullness of life. They learn that life is not merely what appears to be superficially. It has many deeper dimensions. To reach these depths the students personally undertake many spiritual and psychological experiments.

This whole process is evaluated by the students and teachers jointly. Different departments of the university too participate in this evaluation process. The gradual transformation of the whole personality of the student is reflected through this transparent assessment process. One thing which is to be understood and of which the students of DSVV are aware is that emphasis on moral discipline does not mean depriving them of normal comforts of life. Rather it is a sure way to gain energy, strength and dynamism. Observance of a moral life style means a life of physical, mental and spiritual energy; it is not a life of misery and discomforts. There is a need to make the youth in universities and colleges aware of this fact.

Morality is the process of conserving the energy of life and its optimum utilization. It is a unique way of tuning with nature, through which a person receives unending gifts of power and strength. In this way, the real joys of life are not snatched away. Rather the capacity to access happiness at deeper levels of consciousness is enhanced. In the world of today it is imperative for both the students and their guardians to realize that life is not confined to the statistics of examination marks. Its ambit is far vaster and encompasses the whole range of the depth, expanse and grandeur of the personality. To claim a right to any lucrative work by virtue of having done well in the examination is wrong. Similarly for the employed youth ability to earn more money is not everything. They must try to understand life in its manifold dimensions and aspects. It is the bounden duty of those who are experienced and wise to help the youth in developing this understanding.