The Gen Z in India were being "created" as someone who rebelled, while the Gen Z in Europe, Japan and America wanted to listen to the music of 1970s and 80s and read the books of 1960s, Editor of Thuglak and chairman of Vivekananda International Foundation S. Gurumurthy said on Thursday.
Delivering the Dr. (Mrs.) YGP Centenary Year Memorial Lecture 'Indian Civilisation Past Glory or Future Guide' organised by by Padma Seshadri Bala Bhavan Group of Schools in Kamarajar Arangam on Anna Salai in Chennai, Mr. Gurumurthy referred to a study of Gen Z abroad.
"But, Gen Z is being created in India, as someone who rebels; rebels against the system, rebels against the society, rebels against parents, rebels against tradition, rebels against religion. This is how a new Gen Z is being created. Gen Z is being told that you are not a Gen Z, if you don't do it. This is a very peculiar, consumerist approach of western communication experts."
Mr. Gurumurthy, however, also pointed out that many young people in India went to temples and visited Kumbh Mela in large numbers and they included software engineers, chartered accountants, teachers, businessmen, company executives, among others. He further noted that "there is a civilizational connect" in each of these activities.
Referring to the study that compared Indian savings with that of a few other countries, he said: "Unlike in the west, in India, people save for their grandchildren," and further noted that that thought was "not there in countries which we have iconized or made examples of."
He said, "Civilization means continuity. Civilization means the memory of the people."
Mr. Gurumurthy said that recalling the past was a matter of pride and also was a matter of self confidence. The country's civilization is still guiding it, he said. "The entire answer to how the universe originated, how climate changes are taking place and how human beings are affected by the things happening in the universe - all these secrets will be unraveled only by studying the Indian civilization."
Earlier in the day, veteran actor A.R. Srinivasan, Founder of Ramcons K. Ramanujam and ophthalmologist Mohan Rajan, Chairman and Medical Director of Rajan Eye Care Hospital, were honoured on the occasion.
Dean, Director and Correspondent of the PSBB Group of Schools Sheela Rajendra said that under late Mrs. YGP's leadership, PSBB grew to be a confluence of Indian tradition and progressive thinking, combined with academic excellence where learning extended beyond textbooks to develop character, conviction and compassion.
