National Youth Day, which is also known as Vivekananda Jayanti, is celebrated on January 12. Speaking on the occasion, healer and psychic Sharmila Cirvante shared that she loves engaging with the youth of today as they are aware, brave, and not afraid to express themselves.

She said, “Age has never been a barrier for me. I can connect with all generations, whether they are younger or older than me. I’m very much in tune with what the younger generation thinks, likes, or needs, as being from the media industry, they were our target audience. I also have friends who have kids from the younger generation, so one is always discussing them to understand how their mind works, how to understand them and what it is that makes them different from us.”

She feels that staying open-minded, informed, and observant has helped her bridge the gap with the youth today. “I connect with them on various topics, music and movies being the common factor. I love speaking to them about what they’re going through or how they deal with emotional problems. Today’s generation is very smart, they’re very intelligent, and they have a lot to offer,” she added.

She, however, pointed out that the youth face far more challenges than the earlier generations. She said, “Firstly, there’s a mix of social pressure, uncertainty, and information overload. There is identity confusion because on one hand they’re following social media, which expects them to be a certain way, but in reality they may be just the opposite.”

“Secondly, the digital influx creates loneliness, anxiety and burnout due to the loss of real human connection. People only text, not talk. They meet virtually. Some of them have more online friends than real friends. Also, considering that the job markets are changing and job definitions are changing, it’s very difficult for them to make traditional success paths, and there’s always a fear of falling behind their peers,” she added.

Sharmila believes that there is information overload but low clarity on everything, which affects them. She said, “They might consume massive content, but they really lack the frameworks to filter, to think deeply, and to decide consciously. As a great educator once said, “Everyone has a lot of knowledge, but they don’t have much wisdom.”

She stressed that before jumping onto the social media bandwagon and promoting themselves, they should have self-awareness. She said, “They need to learn how to regulate their emotions. It’s good that they’re not afraid of expressing themselves, but sometimes they might be expressing themselves for the wrong reasons. I think they need to focus on strength-based growth and also accept their imperfection or accept their faults and not necessarily only chase perfection.”

She, however, mentioned that she loves that today’s youth is far more questioning than any other generation before. She said, “Our generation wasn’t so bold. Today’s youngsters question anyone, even if it’s a senior. They’ll question you if they do not agree with you. They question outdated definitions of success and authority. Some of them speak up openly about mental health, and they’re quite happy to flaunt it or seek solutions or help about it.”

“They value purpose over prestige, and I think what I like best about them is that they want to live life on their terms. They’re willing to walk away from work environments that don’t align with their values, or they’re willing to even question family decisions if they don’t align with them,” she added.

She pointed out that they are far more socially conscious and said, “They want change and refuse to settle for systems that don’t make sense anymore and are willing to stand up for it. Mass protests in Nepal and Madagascar brought down both governments this year, with Gen-Z leading the demonstrations despite facing heavily armed police and the risk of arrest. In India they are fighting for LGBTQ rights, women protection, better and progressive laws.”

“The youth today they want different things, they want to be experimental, they’re not caught up with titles and labels and jobs, and they’re also happy to just go and do some social work somewhere. I think what is lovely is the fact that they are their own people, and that’s really commendable,” she concluded.