The aftermath of the emergence of the Cockroach Janta Party appears to suggest that such an ebb and tide is slowly happening in the affairs of the country.
Repression and missed opportunities often become catalysts for profound political change. When governments ignore public aspirations, young people can reshape political narratives.
“There is a tide in the affairs of men Which, taken at the flood, leads on to fortune; Omitted, all the voyage of their life Is bound in shallows and in miseries. On such a full sea are we now afloat; And we must take the current when it serves, Or lose our ventures.” This famous metaphor from William Shakespeare’s Julius Caesar reminds us that life presents rare, fleeting windows of opportunity. Acting decisively when the “current serves” makes all the difference; hesitating means missing your chance and settling for a mundane, stagnant existence. In simple terms, it means it’s now or never and that the key to success in life lies in knowing that a tide, or simply the motivation of men, and it is up to a man to recognize, and seize the opportunity. The horrifying images of brutalities heaped on peaceful unarmed protesters at Delhi on July 20, 2026 was a current Modi’s Government failed to take when opportunity served and it is possible that this failure could lead this Government to lose its ventures.
Besides innumerable instances throughout history of unhearing and unresponsive powers being disposed of illusions of invincibility and finally biting dirt, in recent times we have seen how events, led by young people, turned out in Sri Lanka, Bangladesh and Nepal. Lives and limbs were lost but those in power, the inflictors of the brutalities, were hounded out of office. Those who don’t know history and those who ignore history are doomed to repeat history. Unfortunately, power has so consumed those who have been entrusted to exercise it that their thinking and learning abilities become compromised and eventually completely erased. So they elevate themselves to a god-like status much encouraged and helped by the sycophants and hanger-ons.
One of the greatest minds in history and an important figure in modern math and science, Isaac Newton, once said “what goes up, must come down.” While this was a statement about what would eventually be known as gravity, its scope extends well beyond Sir Newton’s primary area of expertise of natural philosophy. It is both a literal law of physics—thanks to Earth’s gravity—and a popular metaphor. In daily life, it serves as a gentle reminder that all trends, booms, and emotional highs are temporary, and a downturn or “fall” is naturally inevitable.” And because human existence is not excluded from the laws of nature or above it, the
And this ebb and flow is being spearheaded by the youth, who throughout history have been an irresistible force and an immovable object ~ as long as they don’t sell their souls; as long as they resolutely stick to their guns; as long as they are motivated by the greater good; as long as they have clear and unambiguous vision of the future; as long as they are guided by knowledge, wisdom and humility; as long as they sacrifice, strive, struggle and serve; as long as they take the tide at the flood. This would be walking on the footsteps of India’s freedom fighters. For human existence, the human condition and the human spirit there cannot be a higher aspiration than freedom, which translates into the democratic ideals of freedom, liberty, equality, fraternity, justice, transparency and accountability.
Political motives and agenda may be alleged at the ongoing youth protest much supported by parents, elders, siblings, political parties and personalities, as well as other well-known personalities. But when the lives and future of our youth are at stake, it becomes both personal and political. Besides, politics and power are not the sole prerogatives of one individual, a handful of individuals, one political party and their affiliates. Our constitution is very clear on that. This is being reminded now again by the people, who stand on the letter and spirit of our constitutional guarantees. The pained voices of young protesters on Monday and thereafter widely circulated in social media clearly indicate that their protest is so much more than the demand for the Education Minister’s resignation. Though we somehow think that youngsters are absorbed with their smartphones, fashion, showbiz and cricket, it is clear that they are knowledgeable about what’s going on in India and around the world. Oh, if only our powers-that-be and our Governments were as knowledgeable about our youth, their aspirations, their hopes and their abilities as they are about stealing elections and unscrupulous MPs, subverting democratic and constitutional institutions, prioritizing religion over the economy, unemployment and negating citizens’ existence.
It is this disconnect that was evident in the Chief Justice’s comment in May, which touched a raw spot in our youth. If the Government had seized the moment the CJP was announced online, gauzed the mood of the youth and reached out to them, instead of resorting to repressive measures by banning their online presence, today the Monsoon Session in Parliament may have been different. The Government had ample time to reach out to the CJP after it announced the protest and peaceful march to Parliament. It had enough time before Sonam Wangchuk started fasting but in all its wisdom, it decides to brutally attack peacefully protesting youngsters. Now, after all the viral visually documented evidence, it decides to blame the youngsters and cry victim. How little the Government knows of our youth, India’s largest demography and how unrepresentative it is of this demography! Mind you, the protesting youngsters aren’t the flotsam and jetsam of society and/or the raat-faat elements normally hired to attend political campaigns, persecute minorities and generally create chaos and fear.
After July 20, protests spilled across the country in solidarity with the Delhi protests and the brutalities inflicted, as also in the UK, Ireland, Canada, Germany and the Netherlands by the Indian diaspora. Shillong, Dimapur, Aizawl and Itanagar have also seen protests in support and solidarity. The whole country stands in solidarity with our youth one way or the other. Food, water, other requirements are being sent from across the country for the protesting youth at Delhi. Doctors are providing medical assistance, auto and taxi drivers are ferrying them free of cost. This sends a powerful message. As Sushant Singh, Lecturer at Yale University, says (Young Guns, The Telegraph, July 23, 2026): “By occupying the streets, by demanding administrative accountability, and by forcing the Modi government to look them in the eye, the youth are reclaiming the very definition of popular sovereignty.” For this, the entire country backs the youth.
The brutal police crackdown on young unarmed peaceful protesters at Delhi on July 20, 2026, besides being a blot on the world’s largest democracy, has all the potentials to usher in an unexpected chapter on political narratives in the country. But the scripting of this chapter also has all the potentials of more brutalities, more repression and more abuse of constitutional rights and freedoms. However, there is nothing more powerful and potent than a people standing together to fight for their democracy and to protect, defend and own it.
Monalisa Changkija
(She is a Dimapur-based veteran journalist, poet, and former Proprietor, Publisher and Editor of Nagaland Page. Written on July 22, 2026. Published in the July 27, 2026 issue of Assam Tribune)