Dr Vikas Sharma
drvikassharma20202020@gmail.com
Every Republic Day, the country wakes up early, turns on the television, and congratulates itself. Parades roll on, uniforms look perfect, flags wave confidently, and speeches repeat the same polished words about pride, unity, sacrifice, and national strength. For a few hours, the youth is praised loudly and generously, presented as the future, the hope, the promise of tomorrow. Smiling faces appear everywhere, as if life is sorted and progress is guaranteed. Then the day ends. The television is switched off, the flags are folded, and the slogans quietly disappear. The very next morning, the youth returns to its actual life-back to exam preparation that never seems to end, back to results that are delayed without explanation, back to job portals filled with confusion, back to fake offers that look real until money is lost, and back to a future that feels less like a destination and more like a long waiting line. This is Republic Day beyond parades, where celebration is loud, short, and comfortable, but struggle is silent, long, and carried alone.
Being young in India today is not inspiring; it is exhausting in a deep, constant way. Life feels like an endless test that never declares results and never apologises for delays. From childhood itself, the instructions are harsh and clear: study more, compete harder, stay quiet, don’t ask too many questions, don’t slow down, and above all, don’t fail. Everyone keeps repeating the same sentence like a promise that never comes true-“Things will get better after this exam.” But the exams never stop. One finishes, another begins. Years pass. Energy reduces. Confidence weakens. And still, the youth is told to wait patiently, as if patience alone can build a future. Education is sold as the final solution to everything, so the youth studies sincerely, sacrifices sleep, health, friendships, peace of mind, and sometimes even self-respect. Coaching centres, classrooms, and books become life. Years are invested in competitive exams that are supposed to decide everything. Then reality hits suddenly-exams are delayed, schedules change, or papers get leaked. In one moment, years of effort feel meaningless. Students are told to prepare again, start again, try again. No one seriously talks about the fear, anxiety, and mental damage this causes. No one gives back the lost time. No one takes responsibility for the pressure quietly placed on young minds.
Government exams have slowly turned into endurance tests rather than true measures of ability. Lakhs apply with hope, a few are selected, and the rest are pushed back into waiting without clarity. Results take months or years. Processes repeat. Notifications change. Age limits quietly pass while candidates keep refreshing websites and checking messages. While procedures move carefully and slowly, the youth grows older, standing still. Dreams are paused. Lives remain on hold.
Republic Day speeches speak proudly about opportunity and fairness, but daily life teaches lessons of delay, silence, and helplessness. Private jobs do not feel safe either. Many come with long hours, low pay, no stability, and constant fear of replacement. Contracts replace security, pressure replaces peace, and uncertainty becomes routine. Young workers are told to adjust, compromise, and accept whatever is available. If they ask for clarity, they are called ungrateful. If they want stability, they are called unrealistic. If they expect dignity, they are labelled demanding. The message is harsh and simple-be silent, be thankful, or be replaced without regret.
When real opportunities feel limited, fake ones increase. Job scams have quietly become common. Fake interviews, fake emails, fake websites, fake offer letters-everything looks genuine except the job itself. Real money is lost. Real confidence breaks. Real families suffer. Young people desperate for work become easy targets, and when they are cheated, the response they receive is cold and careless: “Be careful next time.” No one seriously asks why such scams exist so easily or why young job seekers are not better protected. The blame quietly falls back on the youth. Social media adds another layer of pressure and cruelty. Every scroll feels like punishment. Someone else has a job. Someone else has moved abroad. Someone else is “settled.” Nobody posts rejection emails, cancelled exams, long waiting periods, or failed attempts. Youth compares its real struggle with carefully edited success and starts doubting itself. Confidence breaks slowly. Self-respect weakens quietly. Anxiety becomes normal. The mind grows tired. Mental health is talked about everywhere but supported very little. People say “mental health matters,” but when a young person struggles, the advice is shallow-“Be strong,” “Don’t overthink,” “Others have it worse.” Real support is costly, access is limited, and understanding is rare. Pain is allowed only if it stays invisible.
Relationships and personal plans also suffer under this constant pressure. When jobs are unstable and futures unclear, commitment feels risky. Youth is blamed for being confused, scared, or emotionally distant. Nobody asks how someone is supposed to plan marriage, family, or long-term life when even the next year feels uncertain. And yet, every Republic Day, the same youth is proudly called the future of the nation. The future, it seems, is expected to suffer silently, wait endlessly, work continuously, and complain never.
Let it be said clearly and simply: the youth is not lazy. It is tired-tired of trying again, tired of waiting again, tired of starting over, tired of empty speeches, tired of being told that suffering builds character. Youth is not asking for luxury. It is asking for basic dignity-fair exams, real opportunities, honest processes, safety from fraud, mental health support, and a future that does not depend only on luck. Republic Day speaks of liberty, equality, and fraternity, but these words feel hollow when daily life feels unfair and uncertain. Still, the youth continues-studying again, trying again, hoping again-not because the system is kind, but because hope refuses to die easily. And that quiet hope, stretched thin every day, is the real test the youth carries long after the parades are over.
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