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PoliticsIndia

The Indian Age - Its Youth and the Future

May 29, 2024

India, a nation on the verge of becoming a superpower? The country has overtaken China and is now the world’s most populous nation. The average age is 28.

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The Indian Age - It’s Youth and the Future
An illiterate woman fighting for a future for her children.Image: DW/WDR

What dreams and what opportunities for advancement does this generation in India have today?

The median age in India is just over 28 years. That’s very young in global comparison, especially with western industrialized nations. How do young Indians, who are exactly 28 years old in 2024, experience their country? 

The Indian Age - It’s Youth and the Future
Many Indians are getting promotion through promotion start-ups.Image: DW/WDR

A nation that’s often referred to as the world’s largest democracy, but where rising Hindu nationalism under Prime Minister Narendra Modi is resulting in repression and sometimes violence against Muslims. A nation where economic growth surpassed that of China in 2023; one with designs on becoming one of the world’s most important global players, both economically and politically.

The Indian Age - It’s Youth and the Future
Image: DW/WDR

A nation of contrasts: Alongside up-and-coming startups launching groundbreaking business ideas, it’s estimated that one in every five people in India can neither read nor write. There are few countries in the world where the gap between rich and poor is so wide, where hunger and luxury are present cheek by jowl. At the same time, advancement opportunities continue to be determined by an officially obsolete system of social castes.

The Indian Age - It’s Youth and the Future
A businessman with a life full of luxury.Image: DW/WDR

The documentary observes 28-year-old Indians as they go about their everyday lives. Some live in poverty in rural areas, others work in one of the many startups in urban centers. Some are members of the Dalit caste, also known as the untouchables, still marginalized in India today and often only able to find jobs that no one else wants to do. The film profilesHindus and Muslims, an illiterate woman fighting for a future for her children, a businessman with a life full of luxury. What are their dreams; what prevents them from realizing them? And as India strives to become a new superpower, will it take all its citizens along for the ride?

Parliamentary elections are taking place in India from April to May 2024. Will Narendra Modi and his Hindu nationalist BJP party continue at the helm of the country?

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