Is dare-devilry akin to manliness and masculinity??

Karan Pandey, 19, a young pillion rider to Stunt-biker Punit Sharma was open fired at by the Police on July 29, 2013 and got killed.

According to Delhi police, the attempt was purely aimed at stopping the gang of bike riders (almost 150 in number) from performing dangerous stunts and to prevent the gang from creating a ruckus or hooliganism on the streets of capital near India gate during the wee hours. 

The move made by the Police, however, turned out to be an uglier one by costing life of the only son in Pandey's family.

Several gangs of bike riders have successfully been able to make their presence felt across the nation over the last two decades. They have carved a niche for themselves in the eyes of Policemen (who are fighting a lost battle against them) and the general public as well. The police, so far has only been able to title their stunts as acts of vandalizing, rioting and hooliganism. And nothing beyond that!

The existence of such  gangs has secured an impressive place in the virtual world also.Hundreds of pages, communities and groups have emerged on Internet and are effortlessly catching the attention of people of almost all age-groups. Their posts and updates are rampant on various social networking websites. Shockingly enough, majority of these online pages are administered by minors who don't even bother to put statutory warning on their posts before publishing.

Ironically, do we really care about the statutory warnings published in TV commercials, printed advertisements and online posts promoting bike stunting for that matter!!

Ministry of Information and Broadcasting, India makes hue and cry over every possible issue ranging from regionalism to religion with all its means. And not surprisingly, simply turns a deaf ear and blind eye towards free-reign airing/telecasting of such commercials on electronic/print media which promote stunting and action. 

Aren't such commercials and movies playing a pivotal role in stimulating and enticing today's youth to play with their lives by indulging in such stunts ??

A well-accepted reality show called 'Roadies' dons the hat of big-time promoter of such activities. The show has earned a legacy of being a 'Macho Show' over the last 10 years. Every year, thousands of aspiring Bike lovers (rather stunt lovers) participate in it's show called ' Stunt Mania' to earn a quick buck plus overnight fame. 

Risk- taking behavior plus dare- devil stunts are the only eligibility and qualifying criteria for such shows! 

According to Sigmund Freud, such dare-devil stunts arise out of human's innate 'death drive' 

All this leads us to a very significant question: How astray and directionless the youth of today has become???

On one hand , when Delhi University has announced 100% scores as cut off for admissions by thrashing dreams and hopes of countless other deserving candidates, at the same time on the other hand,  the same capital is witnessing such acts of vandalizing by our country's aimless and fearless youth brigade!

** The views expressed in this article are purely personal and do not intend to offend anyone!