"Give me 100 energetic young men and I shall transform India", said Swami Vivekananda. Such is the power of youth. For, that is the age when the flowers of intellectual curiosity, creativity and discovery bloom. It is also the age haunted by dreams, dreams of success and achievement, dreams of fame and prosperity. The former president, Dr.A.P.J.Abdul Kalam has vindicated the need for dreams: "Dream dreams! Because dreams lead you to thoughts and thoughts lead you to actions." The dreams of the youth have the power to take them to the remotest corners of the cosmos in their quest for fulfilment. The power of youth is especially radiant in India. Youngsters like Kalpana Chawla, Sania Mirza, Rajyavardhan Rathore, Sachin Tendulkar, Narain Karthikeyan and Chetan Bhagat serve as role models for youngsters all over the nation. They ve all carved a niche for themselves in their respective fields, because of their perseverence, youthful spirit and charismatic charm. Ours is a youthful nation in a very literal sense because nearly 54% of its population is below the age of 25 years. The youth of today's India are very ambitious, technology oriented and confident. It is estimated that 300,000 Indian youth are working in the Indian Silicon Valley, Bengaluru. By 2008, 35% of our exports are expected to be based on software and all this will be achieved by 600,000 young people, whose current age is just 26.5 years! If such are the astounding achievements of youth in just one field, just imagine how much they will be able to achieve if they are vigourously involved in a variety of fields! Thus, the power of youth serves as one of the deciding factors in the building of a modern and developed India. In the recent years, other countries of the world have begun to look upon India with renewed respect, recognizing it as a new global power that is gradually evolving, though there is still a long way to go before India can regain something of its pristine glory and prosperity. This is indeed the dream, the vision that impels India's march forward. It is the vibrant hope that pulsates through every patriotic Indian's veins. And if India is to awake in that promised Heaven of Freedom, the youth have to be equipped adequately to lead India on this journey. They have to be involved in every facet of the nation building process. They should be given the opportunity to participate in decision making in the political, social, cultural and economical aspects. At the personal level, this participation increases the youth's knowledge when they get an opportunity to exercise their problem solving skills in real life situations. It enables them to think critically and actively face challenges. It also strengthens their social interest and their commitment to society. The youth with their innovative ideas, energetic enthusiasm and neutral background, can contribute to peaceful and democratic development. The involvement of Indian youth in parliament, judiciary and bureaucracy is also of utmost importance. Active participation of youth is absolutely essential in building an identity for the nation. The youth will need to become social architects, initiators of change and above all renaissance leaders. However the path to nation building is not smooth. A big stumbling block is in the path of Indian youth. And it is nothing other than the present socio-economic condition prevalent in the country. Statistics reveal the fact that several millions of people starve even for the basic amenities of life. A radical change is the need of the hour. This radical change cannot occur unless the youth are made aware of the real needs of the society. They must understand while low operating costs and inexpensive labour generally attract investments in India from abroad. Especially these investments are concentrated in IT and higher end knowledge intensive sectors. Rural areas, on the other hand, remain underdeveloped and under funded, leading to mass unemployment and mass migration from villages to urban areas. This huge disparity in the distribution of resources is a major problem that the youth need to focus on. Another challenge that today's youth face is to take the benefits of education to the most deprived classes of people in the country. Education is absolutely essential for the empowerment of the entire society. And today, education has become everyone's birthright. None can be discriminated against and denied education. Yet the complete democratization of education remains a distant dream. Statistics tell a depressing story. 400 million Indians in the country of 1 billion don't know how to read and write. Even when education is available, there is a complete mismatch between what is taught and what the employment market needs. The youth should concentrate on such social disparities as well! The Indian youth hail from a multi cultural, multi lingual society. Their rich cultural heritagecan be a great asset, a source of inspiration to them if they are given sufficient exposure to it. India's long and eventful history exemplifies the resilience of the spirit of the nation. This too can prove to be an asset as the youth can take inspiration from the examples of history. With the present technological competence, India's massive population of one billion, which most people perceive as a liability, can easily be converted into an asset and utilized as human resources for nation building. Still, as there are two sides to a coin, so too there are many dangers and threats that hang like a Damocles' sword over the Indian youth today. The erosion values and the perplexity caused by the cultural upheaval that India is going through at this point in history often confuse the modern youth. They are the vulnerable targets of modern living. However, despite all these limitations, the Indian youth are a massive resource. The energy and effervescence of the modern youth is waiting to be channelised in the right direction and used effectively in nation building. Sociologists have opined that the Indian spirit is very lethargic and lacking in aspiration! But it takes only a tiny spark to set ablaze the fire of aspiration in the minds of the youth. For as Dr.Abdul Kalam rightly said, "Ignited minds of the youth are the greatest resource compared to any resource of the earth, under the earth and above the earth. When ignited minds work and perform with indomitable spirit, a prosperous, happy and safe India is assured!"