Sept 27, 1999

Elections 99

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YOUTH POLL
In case of war will you serve in the army?

                                         All figures in per cent

In a time when terms like "post-nationalism" are in vogue, good old fashioned patriotism may seem an obsolete concept. Thankfully, the young don't think so. Pride in India, belief in its inherent strength and the resolve to rise to its defence should the need arise is evident. The sentiment was equally high among men and women, rural folk and city dwellers. Even of the 10 per cent who said "no", half were willing to don uniform if the government made it compulsory to do so. India's future is in safe hands.

Some of the respondents were quite categorical on the lessons of Kargil. Said Deepa, Coimbatore (rural), "Indians are not aggressive by nature. But we need to be alert." Halfway across the country, Rishab, Delhi, echoed the sentiment: "We need to be assertive, not necessarily aggressive." Tushar, Nagpur, was more clear-cut: "There is need to modernise. Spend more on our defence forces."

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