'If This Government Changes, Maybe My Children Will Get Jobs One Day': Voices From the 'Crowd' at Jantar Mantar

New Delhi: Protest sites may be physically demanding places to be, but they are uniquely inspiring spectacles of democracy in action. The ongoing protest at Jantar Mantar, Delhi, organised by the Cockroach Janta Party (CJP), is no exception. Whatever individual views there may be about the movement, its future and its impact, there is no denying that it has appealed to people of all ages who simply wish to see a better India. 

'I resigned so I could be here'

Pinky, a Gen Z basketball coach, who until very recently was teaching basketball to girls in government schools, says:

"Tomorrow I don't want to regret the fact that a krantikari (revolutionary) struggle happened in the heart of the city and I, being a resident of Delhi, didn't even come here. I tried to take leave from my office so I could join the protest, but they refused. So I resigned. The fact of the matter is, if our education system remains strong, then I can study further and get other good jobs. And if this government changes, maybe even my children will get jobs one day. I'm protesting so that by the time I have children and they grow up, things in this country will have improved.”

Protesters hold up banners criticising the Narendra Modi government's handling of recent lapses in the education system, Photo: Rohit Kumar.

I ask Pinky what the crowd here is like, she replies: 

“The people here are good people. There's no worry about theft. Sometimes people come looking for a fight, but we simply avoid them. You’ll notice that everyone throws their trash in the bins, and if someone forgets to, someone else quietly picks it up and does the needful. If you want to learn about humanity and decency, come to this protest just once. Maybe you aren't fighting for the same cause that we are, but you'll at least learn what it means to be a decent human being."

She makes it a point to talk about communal harmony, too: 

“Here you'll see Hindus, Muslims, Sikhs and Christians all sitting together. I remember seeing this kind of camaraderie before Modi became prime minister, and today once again I'm seeing it here. In school I was taught that India is made up of many different kinds of people. But after Modi became prime minister, it feels like everything has been reduced only to ‘Hindu-Muslims’. I'd forgotten how many other religions and faiths there are in this country.

Whenever Eid comes, all we hear about now is‘Hindus’, so called, making a nuisance of themselves outside mosques. I had forgotten how once upon a time I used to go to my Muslim friend's house and eat seviyan on Eid. I want those days back where everything isn’t so expensive and we can all live freely, happily, and together.”

Seva is seva

Mohammad bhai serves thousands of meals each day to protesting students, Photo: Rohit Kumar.

Speaking of people of different faiths coming together, Joginder Singh and Mohammad bhai, serving food packets together to the protestors make for a welcome sight. Says Singh:

“For the last couple of years I have been running a langar at Deen Dayal Upadhyaya hospital and giving free food there. Mohammad bhai called me and said, ‘Can you help me serve food to these students at Jantar Mantar?’ I said, ‘Of course! Seva is Seva. (Service is service) and so we joined forces. I go home every now and then, but Mohammad bhai literally stands on one foot all day and serves. I just hope and pray these kids get justice.”

Mohammad has a bandaged foot and can barely stand on it. He dismisses it nonchalantly, “It’s swollen because I have been standing and serving food for many days now.” I ask him how many meals he serves in a day and he simply says, “Thousands.” But it is clear that he feels deeply for the cause of education: 

“Education is the only way this country will move forward, and these protestors here are completely justified in being here, because if education collapses, then what future do they have? Dharmendra Pradhan, if you can't manage the education system, please resign.” 

India is diversity personified, and though we are all from different backgrounds we are all Indians here, so it doesn’t matter who believes in what religion. We are here to serve the students. Every day we prepare thousands of meals. Sometimes we serve ice cream, lassi, and good, healthy food cooked with quality oil and spices because we don’t want these students falling sick. They are fighting not just for themselves, but for all of us.” 

He goes on to add:

“Even those who hate us—we love them too. Bharat ki mitti mein prem hai. Nafrat zyada din tik nahin sakti. (Love is mixed into India’s soil. Hate won’t last too long here.) Even the people who oppose us have children who are studying and hoping to get ahead. We want them to remember that an unjust system won’t spare anyone, so please put aside your religious differences and think about the future of your children.”

'If teachers don't stand with students, who will?'

Deepa, who runs a coaching center has come to the protest site with a group of her students, the oldest of whom couldn’t be more than 19 years of age. She says:

“All this is happening because our government is corrupt. A lot of government employees also want to come here in support of these kids, but they're scared. They could lose their jobs. On the first day there were huge crowds, then the numbers went down, but I'm sure they'll grow again. Everyone here knows that Dharmendra Pradhan probably won't resign, but that's not why people have come. They've come so the whole country hears about what is happening.

A 17-year-old student who called out the onscreen marking scam was called a Pakistani. Imagine that! Every time a paper gets leaked, we see children terrified because they don't know what will happen to their future.”

As an afterthought, she adds:

“Also, people think all coaching centers are just money making businesses, but that's not true. These students are like my own children. My main motive isn't money. I want to see them have good jobs one day. If teachers don't stand with students, then who will? My own students told me, 'Ma'am, we'll come with you.' They're only 16 to 19 years old. They study for 12 hours a day, and still they don't get selected.

Then you see questions in examinations like, 'Who wrote the song DJ Wale Babu?' Arey, ask about the Constitution, ask about the Articles, mathematics, budgets. Why ask about a heroine's height? It feels like this government really doesn't want to give jobs!

The biggest irony is that people who have taken just one public service examination and gotten a government job ask, 'Why does everyone only want a government job?' But what about these children who have spent years preparing for multiple examinations? They've given their youth to this. Those who are afraid of losing their jobs won't come here. We don't have that fear."

Rohit Kumar is an educator and can be reached at letsempathize@gmail.com.

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