Today I saw an amazing instance of youth and optimism. In Baripada, I was exploring the life of tribals. How Naveen Patnaik's efficient? Glow had failed to shine on them. The village was just 10 km away from the district headquarters, yet electricity hadn't reached them. There was a power line running above their head but it was meant to light up big cities. I found the juxtaposition not just ironic but plain cruel.

The older men in the village felt how I expected them to feel - bitter and helpless. They didn't see their vote as a form of empowerment. They were simply going through the motions - voting for the party they had always voted for. They were too tired even for anger.

I turned towards a few young men. Many were educated. One had even trekked to Cuttack for an electronics course but jobs were elusive. They were spending their time working on rice fields.

I asked them who their heroes were. They said like the rest of the country, they too adored Sachin and Dhoni. But without electricity how did they manage to watch IPL?

They went to a village two km away and watched TV. Did they feel disadvantaged? They smiled and said no. They wanted to vote so that they could get a chance to improve their village and if given a chance, they would surpass Dhoni. That's it, really. There was no baggage.

They were the happy faces of young India, which promised to bring change.