India is all set to become a global power to reckon with but are we Indians ready to become good global citizens?

This burning topic directly connects with the youth of my nation, of which I am a part and a significant one. How I react to this changing scenario in my country would determine how well I can adjust in a foreign land, where I plan to study.

Communication, innovation, leadership and critical thinking – these are the mantras to compete in the global world. So, to withstand the worldly turmoil, a global citizen needs to think beyond the contours. This is not possible without out of the box thinking, an eclectic approach and practical education. Education cannot be exclusively defined as “training” for what comes next, but in an environment where “what comes next” is almost impossible to predict, what training would be better than training to think critically and creatively, to communicate well and to solve problems?

Today India stands on the edge on a new frontier. We can no more withstand being “Indians”. We have to become the contemporaries; we have to become GLOBAL CITIZENS. Globalization forces us to redefine our socio-cultural boundaries. The term globalization typically refers to an economic phenomenon, but there are ripple effects that make globalization much broader, socially and culturally. For example the emergence of the cult “Hello Kitty” was a minor yet significant effect of globalization.

Venturing new places, getting out of the comfort zone, understanding different lifestyles and cultures, tarnishing inhibitions are the basic pre-requisites that a global citizen needs to manifest. I won’t talk abstract anymore.

I am an INDIAN – a young adult who wants to foster change, someone who is seeking to become a global citizen. I observe that my peers are highly influenced by the west. Rather, to my disappointment, they are illusioned. They are unable to differentiate between aping the west and being a global citizen. They feel that wearing baggy jeans and holding a can of beer is what is all about being a global citizen. Sadly, globalization is misinterpreted for western modernity. They fail to realize that modernity lies in the mindset of people, their endeavors and tractability.

My country is economically competent to become the global power. We Indians, with a little bit of effort, won’t take long to churn out the excellent global citizens in us. Even if we start from scratch like learning to throw the litter in a dust bin and basic civil etiquettes, we can make it for sure. Now is the time to prove that we no more run on the “Indian Standard Time”. The president of China said, “Challenge and opportunity always come together. Under certain conditions, one could be transformed into the other.” Our ancient tradition of “use and reuse and reuse”, which is often caught prey to satire, has become the necessity to living i.e. recycling. It is time we respect our identities and stop portraying ourselves in poor light. We are just a step away, all we need to understand is that now the world is our country and we all are one big fat family.