Punjabi titled book “Kurahe Jawani” – Off the track-Youth - by Amarjeet Singh Johal – is an effort to bring youths on the track.

Amandeep Singh Johal – a teacher by profession – has come up with his first Punjabi book titled “Kurahe Jawani” – Youth Off the Track – by Chetna Parkashan, Ludhiana.

When Johal came to my residence to hand over a book to me, to write few words on the same, being a social worker and concerned with the future of the youths – I never thought that he could pen down a book.

At a glance on the book, the title itself speaks about the concern of the writer about the youths going off the track from the normal life by entering into the world of intoxicants for which the whole of the humanity is worried especially when by 2020 the population of youths is going to be 65 per cent of below 35 years of age. Whereas, the western countries, will be equal to the population of old timers, by that period, is a cause of concern. The Young India will have better opportunities and avenues for the young in the prime of their youth, to show their worth at the global level.

Amarjeet Singh Johal is very insensitive to the problems of others and he says, we – which includes everyone - our attitude is not serious and sensitive. He is right about the track of drugs started from liquor to smack with logics in each page of the book – which is a planned suicide for the youths.

When I turned to the preface page, I thought that it will be short story book having message for the youths at the end of each story. The very first page is a sketch of setup of journey of youths reaching to intoxicants right from home to quacks. when turned on the first four pages. In the subsequent, four pages, each page with four lines thought is a complete thought as inspirational quote with a hope of all quarters – parents, society, teacher – with an open challenge to the parents – “If you will not mix up with the children, then you will repent to see the real youths”.

Each chapter depicts the signs of plight of youths with symptoms of entering into the world of drugs, role of parents, society, teacher, doctors, media but ignoring the issues is no solution to the problem.

Johal is so hardhearted on the fate of the youths that in one of the chapter, he has not hesitated to say that the meaning of Punjabi alphabets is changing with the time – Ullu, Aa Saare. He has made responsible the whole of the system.

Johal is right when he says that the nature and habit of your son should be like the letter of Lincoln – honest, accepting the challenge, having patience, hard working, full of knowledge, importance of books, hope on himself and to feel the truth are the few which only teacher has to teach.

Johal has rightly opined that police and jail should be last resorts and use of drugs by the youths should be understood as ‘social disease’ and there is a need to reform the credentials of Punjabis besides the need of symposium of doctors and teachers who come next to the parents to educate the youths, to bring them on the right tracks.

Frankly speaking, the problem with the society is that we always represent our problem as a very serious but when anybody else faces the same problem, we got to the extent of remarking that it is very ordinary trouble, which will be solved soon. At the same time, within every heart a voice speaks, there is no end of our insensitiveness.

But the way, Johal has depicted the youths going off the path is a challenge for the parents, society and nation, as well. SOS – Save our Souls – is the need of the hour.