Odisha is fairly young. The 15-25 age group population of the State stands at 40% of the total of 4.5 crore people. Most delightful fact is that females outnumber males in this most active, productive and daredevilry period of life though the universally-accepted youth age range is ‘15-35’ years. Young Odisha is exceedingly inspired, buoyant and bubbling with enthusiasm to build a truly happy nation.

A bit of recent history be told:

By the late 1990s, during JB Patnaik’s third stint, the Congress regime had become defamed as the Chief Minister was soaked with countless scams and political misdeeds in collaboration with a few of his chosen colleagues known for thieving. Not surprisingly, the lengthy misrule had brought the State to the lowest levels of infamy, and the people were suffering like never before. The Congress high command dislodged JB and placed Gamang as boss who too got blown away by the Super Cyclone of 1999 before he could make out what was happening around him. Needless to say, the youths of the State then had become miserably disillusioned as the ‘present’ for them was dismal and the future looked frighteningly bleak.

Naveen Patnaik appeared as the State’s boss soon and the fate of the State began improving at a rapid pace. Despite being a political greenhorn, Naveen was clear on one point that corrupt crooks must be eliminated to create a favourable environment for administration and political actions that would benefit the masses. History has already been written and much water has flowed meanwhile. After a methodical cleansing of the political machinery, Naveen set out on rebuilding the systems and institutions. He had figured out quite at the beginning that unless the youth power is harnessed appropriately, meaningful development would never become sustainable. Times rolled by and ‘youth action’ cloned high on Naveen’s agenda and remained stuck there. His wise advisors, particularly a handful of super-sharp bureaucrats, gave shape to his concept of a highly-inspired brigade of the youths with a zeal to build the nation to everyone’s joy.

Thus, the concept of a ‘Biju Yuva Vahini’ was born. Young people with a voluntary spirit and the willingness and energy to learn and share are being identified continuously to embolden and enrich the respectable brigade after undergoing a thorough scrutiny of character and antecedents. The Biju Yuva Vahini is a Government voluntary programme that primarily aims to promote youth leadership and personality boosting sports and such other activities at the community level. ‘Mu Hero’ is one of the self-esteem promoting programmes of the big scheme which presents to the masses such achievers as have brought laurels in sports, arts and cultural activities. There are many unsung local heroes or change agents who are identified, recognised, felicitated and branded ‘heroes to inspire’ the entire community.

Using a systematic search and identification process, youths are identified, who have influenced people in bringing changes in the fields of education, health, hygiene and sanitation, environment, women empowerment, civic sense and breaking myths and social taboos or building scientific temperament. Further, those who have taken a leadership role during natural calamities, worked towards bringing communal harmony during social unrest or showed act of bravery are also being felicitated as ‘Heros’. The expression ‘Hero’ is purposefully used to provoke fellow youngsters to follow suit and replicate the commendable art. The ‘Biju Youth Brigade’, as it translates into English, is out and out a Government programme which has in no remote way anything to do with the Biju Janata Dal, the same way as MGNREGA or Indira Awas Yojana which are all people’s programmes designed by a sensible Government. The implementation of the unique youth programme is very simple. The district Collectors have to nominate at least five change agents from each district. Nominations will also be received from the youths who are known as achievers or popular leaders. All the 314 blocks and 113 urban local bodies constitute the operational area. Street plays, folk dance, music, games are to be conducted for creation of awareness and to engage the generally active young people in an informative and entertaining manner by employing theme-based information education and communication materials, both print and electronic including videos and booklets. Besides connecting with the youths, the programme will also create a platform for the youths to exchange their opinions and ideas on development, social change and discuss the critical issues and challenges faced by the youths with a view to finding solutions. As is popularly known by now, in a recently organised ‘youth-connect’ programme, the State Government had conducted highly popular tribal sports across 119 tribals-dominated blocks with over 1.5 lakh tribal youths participating enthusiastically.

Not surprisingly, political opponents and detractors, headless critics and analysts keep saying that the State Government is doing all this to win the confidence of youths who will be inclined to cast new votes in the ruling party’s favour. The virtually-nonexistent BJP cadres and nondescript leaders keep satisfying themselves by screaming that the BJD is so frightened of the Modi wave that they have to create a political brigade to counter the potent saffron invasion for mere survival. What most of the opposing parties do not want to confess is the fact that the BJD is predictably invincible and the BJP is nowhere in competition. The poorly visible Congress has already jumped from the frying pan to fire with Prasad having been replaced by Niranjan, who is struggling to identify a constituency for himself to send him to the Assembly. Defectors and newly turned adversaries like Baijayant Panda seem to have turned hopeless and witless after the BJD boss got bitter. Panda has the big money to spend, but it is nearly impossible to dislodge Naveen in 2019 as surveys show. The masses are still mad about Naveen. They consider him a demigod who can bring them perpetual joy and relief on all counts. Panda’s OTV prime bulletins’ scrolls kept showing blatant falsehood when Dutee Chand bagged a silver and was promised by Naveen a whopping fifteen million rupees in cash as an incentive. The OTV scrolled: “Dutee disillusioned and disgusted with the paltry sum. She wants much more. A piece of plot and a house in Bhubaneswar are what she wants.” Even Dutee herself has expressed shock and surprise over the news. She says she is so joyously obliged that the sports-loving Chief Minister has given her such a huge sum which can make life comfortable; more so, the act of kindness inspires thousands of young, struggling sportspersons of Odisha to feel assured and inspired that good things are on their way.

Bhubaneswar, meanwhile has attained the reputation of the ‘Sports Capital of India’ already with record breaking ‘athletics show’ and several global hockey extravaganzas. The Hockey World Cup is going to enthral the entire global spectator communities in less than three months from now. Odisha is on its grand road to great achievements that are likely to turn many a sports-developed nation envious.

Lastly a bit about history:

On this day in August, 30 BC Cleopatra committed suicide in quite a young age. Aurangzeb, the third son of Shah Jahan and Mumtaz Begum, in a war of succession, killed his younger brothers Shuja and Murad, chased eldest brother Dara Shikoh throughout the country, got him, paraded him around the city of Delhi and eventually killed him in 1659 on this day. All of them were youths under 35. Motilal Nehru placed the Nehru report strongly recommending independent status for India on August 30, 1928 when young men like Bhagat Singh, Rajguru and Sukhdev were young guys.

Having learnt from history, Naveen is doing his best to make the Odisha youths uniquely productive and meaningfully so!

(The writer is a core member of Transparency International, Odisha)

Odisha has now a youth brigade to usher in social change