A Message That Must Go Further

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12 May 2026

Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha’s inauguration of the National Youth Festival – Aarohan 2026, on Monday in Srinagar, carries a message that deserves to be heard beyond the applause of the ceremonial stage. His call for youth to become active partners in building a developed India by 2047 is not just a motivational line for a public event; it is, or ought to be, a political, social and moral imperative. The significance of this event in Srinagar is very important. Kashmir’s youth have long stood at the crossroads of terrorism and uncertainty, talent and turbulence, promise and alienation. Any serious conversation on India’s future that does not place young people from places like Jammu and Kashmir at its heart would remain incomplete. Aarohan, with its theme of “Rise, Shine and Conquer,” can become meaningful only if it is not reduced to a slogan. Rise: but rise above what? Shine: but in whose eyes? Conquer: but which battle? The answer lies not in defeating rivals, but in overcoming despair, inequality, exclusion and fear; the very point LG Sinha underlined in his address. His emphasis on the “Young Leaders Dialogue” is particularly timely. Inclusive governance cannot be a closed chamber where policies are drafted for the youth without listening to them. It must become a living process in which young citizens are seen not as recipients of state wisdom, but as contributors to public policy, social reform and economic imagination. A nation of India’s scale cannot afford a model where energy remains at the margins while authority stays at the top. Equally important was the stress on originality, creativity and cultural expression. In an age of conformity, noise and borrowed ambitions, telling young people to think differently is both refreshing and necessary. Art, literature, theatre, music, sports and science are not peripheral pursuits; they are instruments through which a society discovers its voice and renews its confidence. Yet words, however inspiring, must be matched by opportunities. Young people do not need patronage; they need platforms. They do not need lectures alone; they need access, support and trust. If Aarohan is to leave a lasting imprint, it must ignite a deeper institutional commitment to youth leadership. India’s future will not be built by asking its youth to wait their turn. It will be built by inviting them to lead now.