Some people believe that young people know about international pop and movie stars but know very less about famous people from the history in their own country. Why is this? How con more interest be created in young people to gain more knowledge about their own famous people from history?

-[Harpreet Singh Dhillon]

It is irrefutable that today we are flooded with information about everything. The youth of today know about global celebs but are increasingly ill informed about their own historical personalities. This essay shall analyse why this is happening, and also suggest some measures, to generate their interest in historical events and people.

The first and major reason for this is that the education system in most of the countries is test-based. Students are only taught to get good grades and as a result, they only focus on passing their exams, rather than gaining knowledge about any topic. Their interest is never developed in history and heroes of our past. On top of that, the youth today is more fascinated towards the celebrities because of the exposure and importance the media gives to them. Furthermore, most of the families have now started living in nuclear setups, where both the parents are working, and because of this the children's education about their roots and history has taken a back seat.

There are many methods that can be used by parents, schools and the media to develop the interest of youngsters in knowing about the famous people from history. The schools can incorporate technology in teaching methods, like the use of audio-visual aids. Educational trips to museums and famous historical places also help develop the children's interest. The government should set up museums and encourage children to visit them by highly subsidizing tickets for the students. For example, the Shaheed Bhagat Singh Museum has become a great source of information about the freedom struggle and the sacrifices made by freedom fighters. Also, the Virasat-e-Khalsa museum has become very popular among the youth as they can learn a lot about Sikh history and culture.

Moreover, TV shows and movies can be made around famous historical personalities and their contributions. For instance, the recent Bollywood movie Bajirao Mastani, has been a super hit at the box office and has made a lot of people more aware about historical events and characters. TV channels like History channel has shows which run throughout the day, giving information about famous people and events from history.

To conclude, there are several innovative and creative methods that can be used to make the youth more interested and aware about the notable people from history. This effort has to be made by parents, at schools and media also has a big role to play ln spreading this awareness.