Helpful Generation

[Imran]

This salt session also included two generations. They, too, expressed concern regarding the youth. In Nandwal village, most youngsters are becoming overly focused on earning money quickly, which is leading them to drop out of their education prematurely.

All three shared the opinion that painting work can typically only be done up until around the age of 40, after which life becomes much more challenging. Therefore, they believe it’s essential for young people to develop diverse skills and also preserve and cherish our cultural heritage.

During this conversation, one key insight came from Bhagwan Patil, who emphasized the importance of the traditional Lezim (a folk dance and physical activity involving music and coordination). He shared that when he was young, he and his peers used to perform Lezim in various villages and even earned money through those performances. This kept them away from bad habits or addictions.

He further mentioned that Lezim can still be revived today, but lack of community support is a major hurdle. He firmly said, “If the people in the village support this initiative, I’m ready to take responsibility for bringing Lezim back for the youth.” He also proposed that we should work together on this initiative during the upcoming Ganesh Festival.

Hearing this moved me deeply — in a time when I often receive negative responses, these individuals showed