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There is another metamorphosis to witness, after the “Cockroach Janta Party” agitation that formalised a generational identity in the country—Gen Z, the collective noun adorned as a powerful expression of youth awakening. School-bound and textbook-guided students are out on the streets, blocking roads and protesting outside government offices with specific demands ranging from solutions for teacher shortages and shoddy classrooms to access to safe drinking water, food, electricity and schools. In July-August, Down To Earth reported that school students protested in 25 districts across 10 states. The agitation seems to be spreading as news of more protests continues to pour in.
The protests came into prominence in August after Cockroach Janta Party’s agitation in Delhi’s Jantar Mantar, which resulted in the exit of Union education minister Dharmendra Pradhan. As of August 21, many of these protests have forced governments to meet the students’ demands. At the same time, state governments have prohibited video documentation of substandard classrooms, and in a few cases, police has been deployed to evacuate the protesters. This spell marks the coming of age of the country’s new generation—Gen Alpha, defined as those born in 2010-25, truly the first generation of the 21st century and younger siblings of Gen Z. They are also called Gen C—marking their link with COVID-19. After all, none of the prior generations had witnessed such a wide and deadly pandemic that disrupted every aspect of their growth. Globally, this generation is emerging as the largest ever, with more than 2.8 million born every week. In 2025, Gen Alpha became a 2-billion-strong population block, outpacing all other defined generations. Most of this generation will walk into the next century, probably kicking and punching with vigour.
India does not have much history of school students protesting with demand sheets. Before Independence, the country had records of school children participating in the freedom movement, but more out of solidarity and under the leadership of adults. There have been previous agitations for better school facilities and connectivity, but all were led by either local community or political outfits. Arguably, this is for the first time we have school students leading from the front—a kind of “direct action” from the youngest generation.
Like its elder siblings, Gen Alpha is growing up in a world with better health parameters, nearly universal access to education, and intimate virtual connections to wealthier and long-living populations. Moreover, Gen Alpha is seeing its elder siblings take to the streets in anger and frustration; their protests are leading to regimes being toppled. A Unicef report says that since the turn of the 21st century, young people are setting new protest trends that are distinct from those of the past. Many large surveys say that Gen Z does not trust the government or incumbent rulers. They feel that the world is not in sync with their aspiration and their desperation. This explains the diverse concerns of youth protesters across the world—from cost-of-living crises to climate change to better participation in governance. How is this connected to the youngest generation? Gen Alpha protests, particularly those that India is reporting, are also taking up a diverse agenda. Most students’ demands are for things that are considered fundamental, like having enough teachers or being able to access better roads to school.
This also highlights the level of the development gap in India. It is indicated in the fact that school students have hit their tolerance threshold and left their classrooms to demand for the most basic amenities. It is also a good sign that children are becoming part of the country’s development agenda, and not just the labhartis of the government.
