"Would Like Them To Be More Politically Engaged": Chetan Bhagat On Gen Z

The Gen Z is not interested in politics and this is part of the reason their issues go unaddressed, Chetan Bhagat author of multiple books featuring this generation, told NDTV in an exclusive interview today. The 51-year-old author, whose new book "12 Years, My Messed Up Love Story" will be out soon, spoke in detail about Gen Z, to which one of his protagonists belong. 

"Unfortunately I would like them to be more politically engaged," Mr Bhagat said. But the reality is that only very few among the Gen Z is politically aware, 90 per cent of them do not care, he added. 

"They are more worried about why the girlfriend didn't text them back and when will that boy call me and when will I get a job and what do I do with my life," he said. 

"And that is why they do not have some of their issues addressed to be honest. Because they don't care. They are not going to. They don't read the newspaper. They open the entertainment section straight away... And I think that's something they have to realize," he added. 

The term Gen Z, meaning people in their early and mid-20s, has become part of public discourse after the recent violent protests in Nepal that overturned the government and led to a change in regime. 

All of that had started as a protest against the government's ban on social media and morphed into an anti-corruption movement. 

Mr Bhagat said this generation's over-dependence on internet -- they grew up with net -- also leads to their becoming unable to withstand stress and less adept at face-to-face conversations.

"Doing passive content consumption, lying in bed, not moving physically, not challenging yourself mentally is bad for you. So I think Gen Z needs to be careful about that. Because they have been brought up on this technology and it's made them less resilient," he said. 

There was a caveat too. 

"Having said that, any time there has been a big change in the world, revolutions, everything, it is always the newer generation that does it. So I think we need to be respectful of them and non-judgmental of them. And see the trends going on," he added.