The school and college youth of our country constitute a powerful force for social transformation. They impatiently seek lasting solutions to the problems confronting them as well as society at large. The bourgeoisie is very aware of this and afraid of the potential of educated working class youth. Therefore, it tries to confuse and disorient the youth in a myriad ways about the source of the problems facing youth and society at large. Whether it is the problem of unemployment, the problem of terrorism, the youth are bombarded with propaganda that blames this or that section of the toiling masses for the problem, while exonerating the bourgeoisie and its state.

In these conditions, it is a task of first rate importance to create enabling conditions for youth to organise themselves and become conscious of the real road to a bright future for themselves and for all the toiling and oppressed of our country. The youth festival organised in Ulhasnagar, Maharashtra, by the Lok Raj Sangathan for a second year in a row, in which hundreds of youth participated, was a contribution to this work. The festival had the theme – Parivartan: Youth for Change! It was held in CHM College, Ulhasnagar on 27th and 28th December 2008. Apart from various competitions, there were a number of workshops on issues that are troubling the youth such as terrorism, unemployment, economic crisis, etc.

The atmosphere prevailing at the Youth Festival reflected the confidence that youth can do anything if they get convinced of its need. Individuals and groups of youth visited the exhibitions on social problems like unemployment and colonial legacy put up by Lok Raj Sangathan. Many youth raised the questions in their mind during discussions with the activists in these stalls. Many of them even decided to join Lok Raj Sangathan to contribute to the work of renewal of the Indian society. There was a stall of the magazine Ghadar Jari Hai along with stalls of companies training in animation software to making motorcycles.

Youth participated in the workshops in huge numbers. The hall was jam packed in the workshop on terrorism. The workshop convenor put many thought provoking facts that made the youth think about who might be behind the terrorist attacks. He made the point that those who impose their agenda and benefit from terrorist actions may very well be responsible for organising them. He also emphasised that US imperialism cannot be a factor for ending terrorism. On the contrary its intervention in this region will only lead to devastation of the people of South Asia.

Hundreds of youth vigorously participated in the various competitions. The best of the songs and dances had the opportunity to display their talent in the concluding session. The whole festival was imbued with the feeling of Friendship First, Competition  Later! Lok Raj Sangathan made an audio-visual presentation, which established the need for the empowerment of the people. It highlighted the fact that there is not one, but two Indias. On the one hand, there are a handful of bourgeoisie, in whose interest the Indian state works and who have enriched themselves so much that they are being counted amongst the richest in the world. On the other hand, there are the people of India, who are getting more and more exploited and getting counted amongst the poorest in the world. To transform this situation in favour of the working people, the speaker emphasized the need for building Lok Raj committees in the villages, residential colonies and workplaces. The representative of Lok Raj Sangathan from Pune addressed the gathering and condemned the war mongering propaganda and activities being carried out in the aftermath of the Mumbai terror attacks. He also condemned the attempts by the Indian government to forge close links with the hated US imperialist. A LRS Activist from Delhi talked about the experience of presenting the outline of a new political process during the recently held Assembly elections in Delhi. Prize distribution was done by professors of CHM college and other local colleges. In the end, youth were seen energetically dancing to the song “yeh desh hai veer jawanau ka ...”.

People's Voice congratulates Lok Raj Sangathan for organising the Youth Festival aimed at enlightening the new generation about the problems of our society.