In the first serious effort to reach out to Young India—that will have a decisive role when the country votes for the 2009 general elections — BJP prime ministerial candidate L K Advani on Monday engaged Delhi’s youth in what he later described as a “first-of-its-kind experience for him”.

The event was organised by a group of professionals who came together to form an online platform, indiabanao.org, “oriented towards a right-of-the-centre political philosophy” “I have spoken at functions organised by the Bharatiya Janata Yuva Morcha (BJP’s youth arm), but never at something like this,” he said.

While the audience—comprising students from IIT-Delhi, Delhi University, JNU and private B-schools—resembled a career mela, Advani used the occasion to showcase the party’s “youth agenda”. “While idealism was the high point of the older generation, the Generation Next epitomises the whatever-it-takes attitude,” said the 82-year-old Leader of Opposition.

Borrowing generously from popular culture — Sachin Tendulkar, Mahendra Singh Dhoni were the idioms to connect with the audience — Advani also took a leaf out of A P J Abdul Kalam’s book. While the assembled youth were made to take a pledge towards “nation-building”, Advani fielded more than a dozen questions, ranging from the US meltdown to the opening up of the higher education sector. What’s more, Advani’s email ID, made public to invite suggestions, had a “2020” in it.

“Education, employment, environment and an uncompromising attitude on terror and urban renewal would be our promise to the youth. In two days from now, we will have Chandrayaan-I headed for the moon. I dream of the day when ISRO’s future space missions will carry Indians to the Moon,” he added.