With the advent of smarter technology and increased connectivity, the world is seeing a new phenomenon - a generation of students who have the proverbial pearl, without having to crack the oyster. It's now easier than ever before for a young student to jump on a plane and be off to new experiences and adventures - whether it is simply a few days holiday in London, study in Singapore, or a field-fellowship in Tanzania. These opportunities are no longer relegated to the ranks of the elite. It's a free-for-all - with the right kind of guidance, determination, and fortitude - if you're willing to give a little extra to go and get your adventure, it can happen.

But we know what it takes to become a global citizen - but what does it take to be one? What does all of this experience mean? It's a question with multi-faceted answers. Going abroad means learning the art of cultural immersion - but being able to balance it with ones own cultural character. For example - an Indian can learn to drink wine in the finest manner, but that doesn't mean they forget how to drink tea from the street-vendor at home.

Next up, a global citizen is one who can ask questions - and is not afraid to do so. Too often students sit in a classroom - bombarded by monotone lectures which don't stop to discover if the students are understanding the information they are so studiously scribbling down in notebooks, tapping into laptops. Breaking the comfort zone means sometimes stopping to ask why - to avoid becoming a lemming that falls off the cliff with the rest of its group - because they didn't stop to ask why they were headed towards the cliff in the first place.

There's another reminder in all this - going away and getting worldly experience doesn't just mean that one can go home and be arrogant. There's always a lot to learn from those who don't leave. A global citizen is one who can constantly process information and maintain a willingness to go and learn. The kid from the remote village in Peru who is given a computer and internet access, can become a global citizen when he learns about cultures in Mongolia - and asks why people there live the way they do. It's an ongoing learning, free for anyone.

We'd like to hear your thoughts.

Ambika Behal is the Managing Editor of braingainmag.com

Tags: 21st century, global citizen, Opinions