You give me hope, Gen Z

To not acknowledge the student protests in Delhi would be journalistic malpractice. With the energy radiated continents away, it was impossible not to be affected. This ‘infestation’ has to be one of the most seminal, spell-breaking events in recent times.

Gen Z crashed through the wall of fear and the circle of cynicism with aplomb. They had an ease of doing business, a flair for fun and an appetite for the impossible. A mind without fear and head held high, their world was (still) unbroken by narrow domestic walls.

They chose Gandhian methods for the most part but with humour and insouciance while faced with a state machinery determined to break and subdue. How a truck laden with stones materialized near Jantar Mantar around 5 am the day of ‘Sansad Chalo’ march remains a mystery. CJP’s Abhijeet Dipke alleged it was to provoke violence and discredit the protests.


If exam paper leaks were the trigger because they touched the core of a festering wound of neglect and hopelessness, state apathy and arrogance fueled something deeper. The slice of middle-class parents not rich enough to provide their kids a foreign escape route or poor enough to feel ‘oppressed’ came out of their WhatsApp stupor.

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But here’s how a key minister responded: leaked papers and exam cancellation give students more time to prepare for the next time. Yes, minister! Exams have become what a wise person called ‘a lottery of despair’. Just as breathing bad air makes your lungs stronger and corruption prepares you for the real world. The level of tone deafness was alarming for a government that sees itself as being too cool for school. Truth is that the path from education to employment is broken for millions of young.

And subsidies are not the answer to job creation. Nor are ‘mobility agreements’ negotiated with foreign governments because they are an admission that India can’t fruitfully employ its young. The much-heralded GCC centers create jobs, yes, but take away the real value of creation: intellectual property.

The government’s heavy hand – pellet guns, batons with nails, lathi charge, barricades, intimidation of those who ordered food for protesters – was an own goal that turned the tide. Yes, the SOP is to go max against protestors except Delhi is not your standard arena. Too many phones were in record mode.

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Fortunately, some in the government saw the reality but not before a million memes punctured the shield of invincibility. An ear to the ground would have heard the warning weeks ago that the disease needed a cure, not the vileness of the IT cell.

The government became Argentina, the students Spain. They maintained the pressure, played together, blocked attempts to invoke religion, sang the national anthem when provoked, waved the tricolour in the face of menacing policemen, shamed the RAF and proved the maligning narratives wrong. The cult of Messi was discredited with wit, even joy.

The government thought it would brazen it out. What’s a paper leak? It’s happened before. Out came what has to be one of the worst talking points – a prominent anchor grilling Sachin Pilot on a paper leak in Rajasthan under Congress. The said anchor went on to ask if the protestors should be ‘allowed to blackmail’ the executive by demanding the resignation of the education minister.

Yes, the tradition of taking moral responsibility seems quaint today but accountability remains the backbone of a democratic system. Every allegation was pedaled against the protestors -- they are a front for opposition parties, foreign governments, CIA, ISI. They were even called the ‘B team of terrorists’ by Dharmendra Pradhan. A question: why shouldn’t the opposition take up the students’ cause? That is its job, dispirited and disunited it may be.

What’s remarkable is that so many young people remain adamantly free of Hindu-Muslim hate after years of negativity beaming at them. One of the most memorable images will remain a Muslim man dancing to a Hanuman bhajan in ecstasy during the protests. Also, the students won’t forget that gurudwaras and mosques opened their doors to shelter them for the night, the main temple in the area did not when most protesters were Hindu. Think about that.

The playbook of polarization and polemics may have run its course because the consent manufactured on WhatsApp lies dismembered on Instagram.

Meanwhile, on my regular beat: the Iran war continues, the ceasefire remains broken, Donald Trump can’t find a way out and tariffs remain his favourite sport. Both democracies are flailing.