A heartfelt thank you to the generation that apparently forgot the first rule of being a "good citizen" in modern times.
People thought you only make reels, scroll social media, and fight over celebrities. Instead, you showed up on the streets carrying placards instead of ring lights. Very disappointing.
The script was simple. If unemployment rises, call it a perception problem. If students protest, call them anti-national. If journalists ask uncomfortable questions, call them biased. If anyone still refuses to clap, accuse them of disturbing public order.
But Gen Z missed the memo.
They insisted on asking why educated youth struggle to find jobs. They asked why campuses increasingly resemble places where disagreement is treated as a security concern. They asked why criticism of the government is so often confused with criticism of the nation.
They observe how conveniently the youth are sidelined from the national conversation. When the CJI (Supreme guarding of our constitution) likened unemployed youth to "cockroaches," it seemed as though he had forgotten that the "I" in CJI stands for India and, above all, its people.
The Constitution has become India's most photographed book. It appears every Constitution Day, smiles politely in government offices, and then quietly returns to storage until the next ceremony.
But when videos emerge excessive force against peaceful protesters, suddenly CJI Suryakant becomes very busy.
Apparently, there is always enough time for lengthy observations, but not always enough time to watch uncomfortable evidence.
At times, it feels as though we have been transported back to the colonial era. The methods may look uncomfortably familiar, even if the rulers have changed.
The British Empire had a simple strategy. It censored newspapers, arrested editors, and tried to suppress dissent.
Independent India proudly learned from history. Britisher were ruthless so the current regime.
But we expect some shame and accountability from India’s government
During colonial rule, Bal Gangadhar Tilak started Kesari. Mahatma Gandhi published Young India and Harijan. Dr. B. R. Ambedkar founded newspapers like Mooknayak and Bahishkrit Bharat. Across the rest of India, countless publications emerged because the mainstream establishment rarely gave space to voices challenging power.
Back then, newspapers challenged the rulers.
Today, television studios challenge only the opposition, while independent journalists with a camera, a backpack, and unreliable internet continue doing what journalism was originally invented for.
History has a peculiar sense of humour.
The technology changed from printing presses to smartphones.
The job description remained the same.
Be vocal, use your Insta accounts, raise your voice and keep asking questions regardless of who occupies the throne.
The freedom movement united Indians against colonial rule. Today's young Indians often find themselves trying to unite people across religion, caste, language, and region against something equally dangerous.
Because indifference is democracy's most loyal enemy.
Rights survive only when citizens exercise them.
Perhaps that is why Gen Z deserves appreciation. Not because they are always right. No generation is.
But because they refuse to believe that citizenship begins and ends with voting once every five years.
They protest, They record. They question. They organise.
They are mocked, ignored and praised only after history changes its mind.
Every generation that challenged authority was first described as irresponsible, emotional, misguided, or influenced by invisible enemies.
Time has an amusing habit of promoting yesterday's troublemakers into tomorrow's heroes.
So thank you, Gen Z.
Thank you for reminding older generations that democracy is not maintained by hashtags praising power but by citizens willing to question it.
Thank you for standing where many preferred to remain seated.
Thank you for taking criticism, ridicule, and sometimes even batons so that younger generations may inherit not just elections, but the freedom to disagree.
Whether history ultimately applauds or criticises your methods is for history to decide.
But one thing is certain.
A democracy where young people stop asking questions is not a strong democracy.
It is merely a quiet one.
Don’t celebrate too early, its not over yet.
It is, quite surprisingly, a positive sign to see many Boomers in Millennials, who once dismissed and mocked Gen Z, now praising them without reservation. That shift itself speaks volumes.
ReplyDeleteHowever, history demands perspective. This country has endured more than one Emergency. Any narrative that selectively remembers one while conveniently ignoring another reflects an evident bias. Criticism of the present regime may be justified, but historical honesty cannot be selective.
The more important question is not whether a section of the demands was accepted within 20 days. The real question is why they were accepted so quickly. Who is truly steering this movement? What larger political or institutional calculations are at play? Every movement has visible faces and invisible forces. Understanding both is essential before declaring victory.
I have never underestimated the power of this generation, even when many from my own generation chose to ridicule it. Their courage, energy, and willingness to question authority deserve respect.
But let us not reduce this moment to a simplistic tale of Gen Z versus the establishment. If there is a victory here, it belongs to a united India. Not to one generation. Not to one ideology. Not to one political narrative. History remembers movements that transcend labels, not those that become captive to them.