Can Modi’s ‘Atmanirbhar Bharat’ depend on Gen Z?

Our Prime Minister Modi and the entire nation have always been saying that ‘demographic dividend’ is our greatest strength. We have a population of approximately 1.5 billion, and more than half of this is young people who can contribute to our GDP and hence a 5 trillion economy soon and Viksit Bharat by 2047.

In addition, we produce a large number of quality engineers, doctors and scientists. A large number of these might be below 30 years of age, the most productive time of a human being’s life cycle. They are fit and can work for at least three decades. 


A joke goes around ‘Aajkal Kam nahi milta hai. Aur dhoondo to Kaam karne wala bhee nahi milta. Aur jo kaam kar raha hai wo kissee kaam ka nahi hai’.

Actually, this is a fact. You interview 50 guys for a job and you may be lucky to get just two.

In recent months the Gen Zee is making waves. They are on the lips of high and mighty, media anchors and headlines of magazines and newspapers. Most of these guys of Gen Zee fame do not themselves know that they are ZEEEE.

Gen Z is generally defined as individuals born between 1997 and 2012. In today’s context this age group around (2024 to 2025) would be from13 years to 28 years or so. It has teens and young adults as a group. As a ball park figure they are close to 40 Crore- 400 million- more than the entire population of USA. More than half of entire Europe! Ten times of Canada.

This is a real confidence booster. Yet being young and muscular or fit is not all-encompassing. You need to factor in other parameters too and take a holistic picture.

They are also called "digital natives" as this generation has grown up with technology like smartphones and the internet, leading to unique characteristics such as being digitally ‘influenced’. Fed by not a silver but digital spoon.
A great guy who does not want to work hard- may be wants to work at his own terms own pace.

You may have a brilliant engineer from an IIT or an MBA from an Ivy League college or IIM in India, but what good is he if he does not want to work and contribute? He is not committed to increasing the output of the organisation in terms of productivity and profits, which is the bottom line of any enterprise, big or small. Then what good are you for me? I am not hiring you for your gold medal. Your medal will neither augment my profits nor add to the GDP of the country- then how do I pay you the great salary you want?

Companies are working with razor-thin margins of profit- how much can they do for an employee?

This new lingo of work smart not hard is hard to swallow. Fine; you want freedom, you want work life balance, you want free time, you want a great environment, you want respect, you want very fast promotion, very high top of the line salary, want frequent breaks, you do not want stress, want mental health to be always your priority and you are so sensitive that your supervisor dare not ask you for progress or completion of task that was given to you because you will get hurt.

The modern-day Gen Z knows how to use a laptop and a smartphone. But using a smartphone does not make you smart- but that is what they think. Even the mature parents feel that their kid is brilliant, as he can book air tickets in a jiffy or a hotel room quickly. He can order a pizza from Zomato or a book from Amazon- see, I can’,t and he can. This is your bench mark for being smart and productive? God help us.

‘Aab Atmanirbhar bharat Kispar Nirbhar Karega’ is the moot question.

In many countries, Generation Z youth are more likely to be diagnosed with intellectual disabilities and psychiatric disorders than older generations. Intellectual disability is a generalized neurodevelopmental disorder characterized by significant impairment in intellectual and adaptive functioning that is apparent during adolescence. Today even companies do not like to hire these people because they are very casual and do not want to work. And we are not different. We in fact are a step ahead of the west as we ‘pamper’ in the name of love and ‘ma ka ladla’. Indian parents are hell bent on showering more love than a child can digest- we force love down the throat of a child.
Then we say ‘sunta he nahi ha’.

Once a boy is 18, he can get a driving licence, watch any content, get married, vote or demote a government, has freedom of speech and much more- he can smoke, drink or do everything his dad and mom can do.

You cannot blame this young generation- they have been brought up with instant gratification. Before your son says ‘jack Robinson’ he gets his favourite pizza, favourite shirt and favourite leather jacket and the lightest frame for his spectacles weighing 25 grams, the thinnest mobile, the best I-phone costing a bomb. You have brought him up with so much of love and affection- now called pampering- we never heard this word earlier. In fact, over protective environment- he has never fought his own battles.

Now when he is 25- a hulk, he still wants you to be at his beck and call -‘mummy’ -but now you feel he should do it himself. You listened to his every demand as ‘the king desires so and so’; some call their sons as ‘prince’ daughter as ‘queen’. I have seen mothers-widows- coming along with their 24-year son to ‘settle’ him in his hostel room of an MBA college. What a shame- for both mother son duo.

Now it is unfair to make a prince as a guy who can earn his living and listen to you. You feel there is a ‘responsibility toggle switch’ if you flip it, the prince becomes a frog as if in movies. Or at best an obedient dalmatian! Or a derby winning horse or a tiger. He still is a pussy! Nawab to Nawab he rahega.

Now when he does not listen to you, you shout at yourself- not at him, he will get hurt - and say ‘Yaar aaj ke bachche suntey he nahi hain’ your google savvy aunty says ‘bhai yeh bahut smart hai- digital native hai naa’.
You have protected him in college in school and now you feel he must get a great job- ‘paar isko takleef na ho’. You proudly say ‘mere bete ney aajtak ek glass pani khud sey nahi piya’

You fought with his class teacher, complained in the police about the principal and now you must be ready to grab his MD by his collar at work. How dare you ask my child oh ‘child’ to do so much hard work.

Today we have concept of double income single kid (DISK) both earn with both hands- run baby run is the culture. You have no time for kids- mom and dad prefer to be in office than be at home- shamming? Yes. Earlier we had three kids one house built by dad- today three houses one kid. If there is super pampering, super safety it has to be super sucker you get. What you sow, so shall you reap.

Oh, our dividend

As per dictionary the definition is – “Demographic dividend is the economic growth potential that occurs when a country's population has a high proportion of working-age individuals. Note the word ‘working’.”

"Success without hard work is like trying to harvest where you haven't sown."

You may be digital savvy, very smart looking, certified, educated person but you want salary with minimum work- better no work.

Would you hire even a driver who does not come on time? NO not at all.

SADAA HAQ AITHEY RAKH- this takes the cake

This is a popular song that defines this savvy culture. You want your right (haq) without responsibility.
I always say ‘you can take a horse to the water and make him drink because he will listen to you. But if you take an ass to the water he will not listen and will not drink’. Gen z says ‘meri maarazi’- I will work as per my values, my time and my comfort- don’t push me. If you do, I will jump out of the window and put the blame on you through a viral video. He is tech savvy.

The organization has to make profits to pay you!

And the system- political and legal system bends backwards to play to the gallery. If a boy fails- hang the teacher. You have to pass even the duds too- because they are very sensitive. Are you churning out the right kind of people or -just people who are not even people? A bit of deprivation leads you towards delayed gratification. Yet so called experts, psychiatrists are flipping words like ‘aligned values’ ‘purposeful engagement, ‘real time motivation’ ‘handling moods’, ‘fragile mental health’, ‘friendly leadership’ etc.. these are just brushing the problem under the carpet.

A senior accomplished journalist ‘Palki Sharma’ in a discussion said ‘Gen Z wants to jump straight from intern to MD- nothing in between. This is not fast; this is ‘pole vault promotion.’

Captain Vikram Batra, the Kargil War hero, said "Yeh Dil Maange More". The phrase translates to "This heart desires more". Or give me a tougher target to capture. He as a company commander had 120 men under him and he was leading from the front.

He was a 24-year-old who was martyred and was awarded PVC.

I have spoken to half a dozen senior corporate Executives and HR heads- they feel it is a struggle to employ such people.

Changing scenario

We are now looking at becoming a world manufacturing hub- shipbuilding and defence manufacturing are big ones. You need managers/supervisors who can deliver in a worldwide competitive market. You need to expand defence forces and have more officers and men on board- sissies won’t do.

Gen Zee or Gen Ji is happy spending 9 hours a day searching for and watching funny videos on insta and Tic Toc – Atmanirbhar Bharat ko dhoondate reh jaoge. It has to be DIY- do It Yourself- to make strong India.
Some of the traits of Gen zee are listed below.

1. ​Entitlement: The perception that they expect high salaries, rapid promotions, or significant workplace benefits (like remote work/flexibility) without having proven themselves or put in sufficient time. May be there is a case for 20% reservation for Gen ZEEE.
2. ​Lack of Work Ethic: Being labelled as "lazy" or unmotivated, prioritizing work-life balance and mental health over dedication, long hours, or "hustle culture."
3. ​Job Hopping/Lack of Loyalty: A tendency to switch jobs frequently in search of better opportunities, pay, or fulfilment, which is a lack of commitment or loyalty.
4. ​Short Attention Spans:​ No resilience/patience. Need to be constantly praised.
5. ​Emotionally Fragile: Being perceived as "easily offended," Instant Gratification.
6. ​Casual attitude: zero respect for time/punctuality. Report by nine, means nine.
7. Low on Emotional quotient. ‘saab chalta ha’ attitude- yet high salary expectations/promotion.
8. No regard for age/experience. My way or the high way.
9. They feel, they are the smartest and know it all.

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