The 28 vs 56 Divide: How India's Generational Gap Is Costing Its Future

Each generation rewrites the world in its own language, but what happens when one generation refuses to pass the pen? India, which is a nation with one of the youngest populations globally, continues to be governed by leadership that's decades older, often disconnected from the realities of a fast-evolving, digitalfirst world. So in a country like India, where the majority of people in our population are young people, the power still lies with the old people. India is home to one of the world's youngest populations. But still, it continues to be led by people who grew up in a completely different era, often with different values,experiences, and worldviews. The average age of parliamentarians in India is 56, while the median age of the country is just under 28 (Parakh, 2020). That’s a massive gap, and it actually shows that older leaders often push policies that reflect their own priorities, not necessarily what the youth want, which is a major issue, as this can make young people then feel ignored, and this disconnect can even push them away from voting altogether (Stockemer & Sundström). What needs to be noted is the fact that this isn't because people don’t want younger leaders; in fact, voters often prefer them. Younger and middle-aged politicians areusually seen as more relatable and more likely to care about things like climate change, education, and childcare, and are more aware of topics like these (McClean & Ono, 2024). Well, one of the biggest reasons for the issue is that politics in India isn’t exactly welcoming to outsiders, especially young ones. For someone without a famous last name, strong political connections, or serious money, getting into politics feels almost impossible. Another reason can be the lack of guidance and mentorship.