Who is holding the Power now and who will in the future?

Democratic Dividend

Democratic dividend is a term I have encountered many times. Several tabloids in news papers and magazines have carried.

One such post appeared in the Financial Express – Human Capital – Gaining from differential democratic dividend on Oct 16, 2020.

The author Prasanna Balachandran writes: His end note is:

“To conclude, India continues to be on the right side of the demographic transition that gives us an opportunity to bolster socio-economic development and emulate the experience of other nations (at similar stages of demographic transitions in the past). Requisite investment in human capital, skill development and state-specific policies could bolster this process further. The government’s identification of policies to address these specific issues are steps in the right direction that will lead us to strong economic growth in the ensuing years".

I could not agree more, but the question which goes unanswered is

“Are we as a nation really committed to this demographic dividend? If yes, then what is the state of execution?”

Ranking U.S. Generations on their Power and Influence over Society

I was reading a post by https://visualcapitalist.com . They have published a very comprehensive report on “Ranking U.S. Generations on their Power and Influence over Society”.  

They have classified the generations into:

1.    The Silent Generation: born between 1928 and 1945 – age 76 (and over)

2.    The Baby Boomers: born between 1946 and 1964 – age 57 to 75.

3.    Generation X: born between 1965 and 1980 – age 41 to 56.

4.    The Millennials: born between 1981 and 1996 - age 25 to 40.

5.    Generation Z: born between 1997 and 2012 – age 9 to 24.

While the post is clearly U.S. based, there are some parallels we could draw upon:

Key events that shaped the generations:

1.    The Silent Generation has seen it all and probably been there.

2.    The Baby Boomers saw JFK Assassination (and many say it is the most significant event in their time), the end of Cold war and the war in Vietnam, the Tech Revolution, the Obama Election and Trump Election

3.    Generation X were born post JFK Assassination and traversed the rest.

4.    The Millennials were born to the Tech Revolution.

5.    Generation Z were observers to the Obama and Trump Election   

Parallels in India

1.    The Silent Generation were part of the struggle that led to India’s Independence in 1947. 1948 Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi was assassinated.

2.    The Baby Boomers were witness to the Indo-Pakistani War of 1965 and the Naxalite uprising in Naxalbari, which soon spread to Bengal and the rest of India. A lot of young people especially the intelligentsia joined the movement and were massacred during the draconian regime of the Congress. They also saw the 1971 war between India and Pakistan which resulted in Bangladesh.

3.    The Millennials witnessed the insurgency breaks out in Kashmir Valley, inflaming tensions with Pakistan. New Delhi dissolved the state assembly and imposed direct rule in Kashmir.

1984 Prime Minister Indira Gandhi was assassinated. Rajiv Gandhi was elected as the incumbent Prime Minister. He was instrumental in ushering the Tech Revolution in India and deploying the IPKF (Indian Peace Keeping Force) in Sri Lanka.

Rajiv Gandhi assassinated in 1991.

Bhagalpur bindings a series of incidents in 1979 and 1980 in Bhagalpur in the state of Bihar, when police blinded 31 individuals under trial (or convicted criminals, according to some versions) by pouring acid into their eyes.

4.    Coming to Generation Z, they witnessed the passing of Mother Teresa, and a very chaotic political situation in the country. Narendra Modi, an Indian politician who was the Chief Minister of Gujarat from 2001 to 2014 and Member of Parliament for Varanasi. Modi is a member of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and of the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS), a Hindu nationalist volunteer organisation. He was sworn in as the Prime Minister of India in 2014

These events are significant in shaping the Power balance across generations in India.

The Baby Boomers most definitely hold the maximum power in India. They have the experience and have withstood the test of times including the great slowdown in the 1980s. But they can be blinded and not listen to those who follow.

The Millennials took to Technology and other sunshine industries like hospitality.

Both Millennials and Generation Z hold the maximum promise, but unfortunately due the hugely polarized politics in the country, now ravaged by Covid-19; they are facing immense difficulties in keeping jobs and getting one.

They are the real future of our country and every other generation and the government must do everything possible to nurture them and provide opportunities for learning, growth, and entrepreneurship. They can learn from the experience of the generations that preceded them.

Which generation do you belong to?

What are your challenges and aspirations?

What will you do differently, now?

You can read the full Report at:

Ranking U.S. Generations on Their Power and Influence Over Society (visualcapitalist.com)