Book Title: Mahavira Jain Vidyalaya Rajat Jayanti Mahotsava
Author(s): Mahavir Jain Vidyalaya Mumbai
Publisher: Mahavir Jain Vidyalay
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A MESSAGE FOR THE YOUTH
By MOHANLAL M. DESAI, B.A., LL.B.,
ADVOCATE, HIGH COURT.
The safety and salvation of the country depends upon its youth. A leader may guide, but what is the use of a leader if he has neither the opportunity nor the means to lead those on whom rests the destiny of a country? India needs thousands of young men, who will undertake the heavy and responsible task of uplifting the cause of the country and carry on the banner of progress. We want young men with tons of energy and brain power. They must be physically fit. They must have ambitions. They must be capable of achieving their goal.
We do not want effeminate graduates, impatient idealists, snobs, or men of hysterical temperaments. We want men who know how to organise themselves, unite themselves and create such a force as will challenge even the empires. They must train themselves to fight for liberty and against slavery. They must have the capacity to break the bondage---physical or intellectual. Whether it is during the peace period or during the war period, whether it is in the field of politics, commerce, art, industry, literature--whatever it may be, the youths of our country must know that they have a national duty to perform, they have a life purpose, and they are prepared to respond to the call of the country.
Instances are not wanting to illustrate what the younger generation has done for the political and social uplift in their respective countries. Go to Egypt, Turkey, Italy, Russia or Germany and you will find that the new generation has made history. ,Youths are the wealth of a country. If the wealth is discriminately utilised, it brings a big return and contributes to the prosperity of the country. So also, if our youths are given a true and national education, and trained up properly, their capacity to work will be tremendous.
I remember that years ago, an eminent educationist once said that our graduates are a fraud. This expression became a slogan. What he meant to say was that thousands of graduates turned out every year by our Universities are worth nothing. They are not current coins. They are worthless and value
