20th July - The Delhi Protest

                                                                                                                                 Dated: 21st July 2026    

I came back from the protest on sunday with so many different emotions - hope, disdain, excitement, sadness, love, respect, restlessness…and so much more that I don’t have words for. I felt a bit uncomfortable with all what I was feeling - there was so much to absorb and there was a lot still happening and so I thought of penning  down some thoughts, in random order, to clear my head and to articulate a few things to myself -

  • The turnout at the protest was not what I was expecting…a huge crowd. My first reaction was sheer joy at seeing so many youngsters expressing themselves so freely and so creatively.
  • All social barriers were broken at the protest - religion, caste, and social backgrounds didn’t matter. Everyone was there for the education system. They all talked about the education system and accountability. 
  • The ask of these students was very fair, and it was quite loud and clear - Accountability
  • The heat was unbearable.
  • Hats off to each and every one who had been there for so long - fasting, bearing the heat, and still smiling. They deserved to be heard.
  • The protest would not have taken the shape it did if the internet had not been disabled. There was no intention of any kind of violence whatsoever. The protesters were clueless as the divide was created through barricading. There was a lack of communication - were we marching, waiting, or what direction were we supposed to go? The protesters didn't know that a few members of CJP had been invited for talks at MP Nadda's residence
  • The spirit of some of the younsters left me in awe. I saw some of these kids including girls crying, and completely shaken up but not giving up...they continued their protest and helped the others who were more hurt. 
  • I saw a lot of tears - and some of those tears were like those of small children who cry when their parents hit them and they don’t know where to go or what to do but they don't leave. I think, for those children, this could be a turning point in their lives.
  • I found myself judging a content creator who was constantly trying to record stories of the protesters who were coming out of Jantar Mantar—shaken up, crying, hurt. She was recording them, and I thought, Why is she recording them at their most vulnerable moments? But then, after coming back, I saw her stories. And realized that maybe her stories help so many people to understand what was happening there.
  • Sometimes I feel there are people in the privileged sections of society who are like ostriches, burying their heads in the sand, not wanting to believe what is truly happening.
  • I questioned my intention of going to Delhi, and I still don’t have a clear answer. Maybe I went just  as a show of strength to this young movement(I actually didn’t think so many people would come). Or maybe I wanted to set an example for my son and the next generation - to tell them that yes, we have to be realists, but there are certain times when you have to be an idealist and raise your voice, because every voice counts. 
  • The violence amidst the peaceful protest really brought down my spirit and saddened me.
  • I came back in awe of this generation, whom people our age ridicule and condemn. I saw how these kids stood up for each other and were so helpful and caring for everyone around. I saw courage, grit, and so much love amongst these bachas - how they were there for each other and were thinking for the other - it was like they were one for a cause...and for them it did not matter who the leader was. They were there because they believed in the cause.
  • I also felt sad for the world that we have given to this generation - a world that is falling apart with the politics of hatred, an environment where they can’t breathe, limited opportunities, inflation, and an education system that breaks you if you want to crack an exam.
  • I want to request my generation to show empathy towards these youngsters and to understand them - not condemn their attitude or behaviour. Be their friends. Understand their perspectives, and show kindness through our words and actions. Have empathy for their worldview. Don’t talk down to them.
  • Hearing some stories of students who had come from afar, for whom education and cracking the exams are the only way out, I felt sad – sad that they really didn’t have a choice. They had to be here and they had to be heard.
  • I also felt guilty and sad that the gap between the haves and the have not has really widened in our society. We can insulate our children from this education system by sending them to private schools and abroad but a majority of people cannot.
  • I am an eternal optimist. I see some of these youngsters joining politics and leading our country, and I just hope our generation, and the generation before ours makes way for these people to shine and to lead. And I just hope they keep their innocence intact.
  • I think I have come back with more hope…because all the people who were present there were optimists. I have realized that you cannot be a protester if you don’t have hope - hope for change, hope to be heard, and hope for a better, or I should say, an evolving tomorrow.

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