A big issue is always made of the lack of sense of Indian values in the children today. Before I put forward my views on the topic, I would like to ask what does one mean by Indian values. These are the thoughts, which have been the leading light of the Indian civilization for ages, and these are the principles on which the foundation of the Republic of India was laid. These are the ideas of truth, non-violence, and peaceful coexistence. Can we see them today in the world around us? When we walk on the roads, travel in buses or trains, talk to people, read the newspapers, do we see any glimpse of any of those ideas, which are the building blocks of Indian thought? Is it proper to put the blame on the children for the chaos and disorder in the world? Everyone seems worried that the children do not have any values, but the real question is — whether there are any values left at all in the society? Children are only reacting to the world their elders have given them to live.

Bhagwad Gita says — As the noble men act, so do others; whatever example they set, others follow.

What examples do the elders set in front of the children by their behaviour? Whatever anyone may say, the truth remains that children always follow the example of their elders. In books and in media it is always presented and propagated that good children should behave in a certain way. But do those messages and lessons carry any weight at all when all the time children are watching their elders acting exactly in the contrary?

No, children have not lost their sense. They never had. The children today are exactly the same as the children in any generation, in any era or times. They are merely absorbing whatever they are observing around themselves; they are only trying to adjust themselves to the fast changing circumstances and environment. They are sometimes lost, and do not have anyone to look forward to. They require understanding, love, sympathy; and definitely not the preaching, lectures, or lessons. The best and the only way to ensure that children take up the traditional Indian values, and preserve them for the generations to come, is to show them those values in action, setting a strong example in front of them. When children watch their elders — whom they always take as their role models — they would start following their example on their own.