Power- Individualism and Collective Identity
An article by Gayatri Mehta on the division of society
The well- known fairy tale- ‘ The little mermaid’ is one of self-inflicted pain and suffering. The little mermaid sacrificed her voice for the sake of the prince she loved. The prince , however, didn’t think of a silent woman as proper marriage material (perhaps he was a little ahead of his times) and therefore left her. The Little Mermaid’s story highlights the importance of a voice for people to fight for who they truly are. The Yuva Project aims to give this voice to hundreds of young people across the country.
Claiming this voice is a lot more complicated than it seems. There are instances when your insecurities and troubles cannot be voiced; when raising an issue that concerns you may actually aggravate the problem rather than alleviate it. This is closely associated with where you stand in the power hierarchy that characterises all societies. A person who belongs to a heavily ostracised social group is more likely to suffer in silence as compared to someone higher up in the power hierarchy. This further implies that one’s individual identity is deeply influenced by one’s gender, social group, caste and economic class. By providing a platform where groups can come together and find a voice- the Yuva Project is providing a new collective identity to erstwhile powerless individuals and is therefore, making a small contribution to a new wave of reform, growth and development.
Having said that, the previously mentioned power hierarchy negatively affects one’s ability to discover and re-invent one’s individuality. For instance, boys and girls are equally affected by toxic standards of masculinity and femininity. The recent, infamous ‘Bois Locker Room’ case proves this. In such complicated 1 situations, claiming one’s voice simply implies claiming one’s individuality in difficult situations. Education and awareness is the key to unlocking this individuality. An awareness of facts, an exploration of different worlds and horizons is perhaps all that’s necessary. Yuva provides young adults an opportunity to do just that.
