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India’s Next Generation

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With guest host Jane Clayson.

The hard weight of history in India, and hope and fury among India’s young. Plus, we remember former first lady Nancy Reagan.

Jawaharlal Nehru University student union leader Kanhaiya Kumar makes a speech to fellow students after being released on bail at the university campus, in New Delhi, India, Thursday, March 3, 2016. Kanhaiya was facing sedition charges following protests where anti-India slogans were allegedly shouted. (AP Photo /Tsering Topgyal)
Jawaharlal Nehru University student union leader Kanhaiya Kumar makes a speech to fellow students after being released on bail at the university campus, in New Delhi, India, Thursday, March 3, 2016. Kanhaiya was facing sedition charges following protests where anti-India slogans were allegedly shouted. (AP Photo /Tsering Topgyal)

Ten million people enter adulthood every year in India. They are hungry to participate in India’s growing riches. There are obstacles in their way: political corruption, poor education, lack of social mobility. A roiling stew for the world’s largest democracy. With global consequences. This hour On Point, hope and fury for India’s young.  Plus, we’ll remember First Lady Nancy Reagan.
-- Jane Clayson

Guests

Somini Sengupta, New York Times reporter covering the United Nations, and former bureau chief for Dakar and New Delhi. Author of the new book, "The End of Karma: Hope and Fury Among India's Young." (@SominiSengupta)

Tarun Khanna, professor at Harvard Business School, where he is also director of the South Asian Institute. Author of "Winning In Emerging Markets" and "Billions of Entrepreneurs." (@TarunKhannaHBS)

From The Reading List

New York Times: Fighting Truancy Among India’s Teachers, With a Pistol and a Stick -- "With the largest population in the world under the age of 35, India is trying to grow by leveraging what is often called the “demographic dividend.” To prepare more than 200 million primary school children for jobs in a modern work force, India passed legislation a decade ago that more than doubled education spending, increased teacher salaries and reduced class sizes."

NPR News: Protests Widen As India Debates When Speech Is Sedition — "Students at one of India's premier universities say the government is wielding a colonial-era sedition law as a means to crush dissent. The government says it's safeguarding public security. At New Delhi's Jawaharlal Nehru University, the arrest last week of student union president Kanhaiya Kumar on sedition charges has paralyzed the school and aroused a heated national debate about the state of free speech under Prime Minister Narendra Modi."

Quartz India: A tale of two speeches: Why Narendra Modi should take notes from Kanhaiya Kumar -- "In rustic Hindi, with a smattering of words in English, Kumar sought to prick the nationalist jingoism being whipped up across the country that had led him to jail, even as he saluted martyred soldiers and thousands of farmers who have killed themselves over the last decade and more. He vowed to bring about change within the framework of the Indian constitution and slammed those who sought to subvert it."

Read An Excerpt Of "The End of Karma" By Somini Sengupta

Remembering Nancy Reagan

Mona Charen, syndicated columnist and political analyst. Senior fellow at the Ethics and Public Policy Institute. Served as Nancy Reagan's speechwriter during the 1984 Presidential campaign. (@monachareneppc)

National Review: Gracious Nancy Reagan — "I was privileged to have worked for Nancy Reagan as a speechwriter during the 1984 presidential race. I think it’s fair to say that without her, there would have been no Ronald Reagan presidency. "

This program aired on March 7, 2016.

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