How young India views the world and polls

The ethnographic study findings suggest that politics is not on the radar of 18-21 year old Indians

The low registration of first-time voters has justifiably caused a lot of concern and comment. “Apathy”, “cynicism” and logistical difficulties are some explanations given.

This column shares some findings of a recent ethnographic study on young India that may shed more light on this phenomenon. Called “Drivers of Destiny”, the study was done with 18-21 year olds, who have just entered or will soon enter the workforce, and 22-30 year olds, who will soon become the ruling age cohort. Drawn from large and small towns of Ahmedabad, Aurangabad, Mumbai, Bengaluru, Chennai, Coimbatore, Hyderabad, Kolkata, Guwahati, Jamshedpur, Lucknow and Delhi, the