Anupam- The Dreamer

In the recent past, there has been a rising trend of the Gen Z protests. “Gen Z”, by the way, is a term typically used for the persons who are born between 1997 to 2012. Such protests have been witnessed in numerous countries now, ranging from Nepal, Philippines, to Morocco most recently. In Nepal, the protest snowballed into such a large scale that it forced the incumbent ministers to either flee away or to give up their positions of power, and ultimately resulted in the overthrow of the government with a new interim government sworn in, in the aftermath of the protests. But, the underlying aspects that lead to these protests are characteristically different from the other protests which have been witnessed earlier. Let’s try to decipher some of those in the succeeding discussion.

The Gen Z are marked by youthful energy, willingness to change the status quo, action-oriented, more educated and aware than the earlier generations when they were of this age-group. Thus, Gen Z is more aware of their rights than ever before. These youth know what it means to have right to freedom of speech and expression, freedom of religion, freedom of movement, right to education, right to food and employment opportunities. One particular reason that has contributed to the growing awareness among the youth is that the birth of Gen Z coincides with the beginning of the internet revolution across the world. The internet started to becoming popularized in about late 1990s. So, it means that Gen Z took birth in the “Information Age” of the human history. So, it was but obvious that Gen Z had to be the biggest beneficiary of the same. They are tech savvy, so they know how to use internet, mobile technology, computers, laptops etc. to enhance their knowledge and awareness about the things that concern them like education, employment, rights etc.

Then, one more huge factor that has led to their enhanced participation in democratic and political process is that this is the first generation that is free from the tensions of basic things- food, shelter and clothing (रोटी, कपड़ा और मकान). Because their parents have, in general, reached to a level of sustenance where they can provide for these basic things to their children. The earlier generations including Silent Generation, Baby Boomers, Generation X, Generation Y (millenials) did not have the luxury of even these basic things in life (refer graph below for the age breakup).

Source: Wikipedia

So, most of the time of the earlier generations was spent in securing and working for these basic necessities to sustain life. But, this was not the case with Gen Z! Gen Z has enough time to think about other things in life, because even if they don’t work and earn money, they know that their parents can sustain them for quite some time. This has literally taken a lot of burden off their shoulders! Because now they can focus on bigger things in life like political and economic freedom, right to “good” employment, right to express themselves, etc. Their aspirations are also more than the earlier generations. You will not find a well-educated and aspiring Gen Z, who doesn’t want to make huge money, travel the world, and enjoy the pleasures of the world. In Ayodhya, I even met a 20-year old chap driving an electric rickshaw who made about Rs. 3 lakhs during the 2 months of Mahakumbh in Jan-Feb of 2025 and used that money to fulfil his dream of buying a Yamaha MT 15 bike for about Rs. 2 lakhs. And he also goes on a trip to some hill station once every 2-3 months. So, whether they are educated or not, they want to earn more money and enjoy their life.

So, whenever there is a mismatch between their aspirations and the reality (which often is not as rosy as they want), then they are ready to protest and fight for them. Also, as the Gen Z has not seen much of the harsh realities of life in earning money and sustaining their family, they are lacking somewhat in the values of patience, resilience and grit. They instead want instant results and instant gratification, because whenever they wanted anything in life their parents provided them that. Also, the internet revolution has made things on their fingertips, so when they want food, they order it online, when they want to travel virtually, they see videos online of that place, when they are bored, they play online games etc. etc.

This anxiety and restlessness in them is a major contributor to these protests. Instead, of suggesting the solutions to the problems like unemployment, education opportunities, etc., they are more inclined to raise the questions and change status-quo. Maybe, because they have not faced harsh realities of life and also because they don’t have the patience to build the kind of political, social and economic environment that they want to live in. They just want the “best of everything”, without even have to work hard for it! This is not to blame Gen Z for all the problems that exist in the world right now. But, such protests will not yield results if they don’t know what it takes to build a nation. If they continue to vandalize the assets of the nation like roads, police stations, public infrastructure, then can they be expected to work for the betterment of their nation? It is often seen that the restless protestors don’t have a solution for their problems, they just want change at any cost!

Change they may well bring it, but if that change results into more chaos and uncertainty for everyone, then will that change be desirable? Will that protest or vandalism of public property provide them employment? I hope not! Then, what’s the solution? Gen Z has to realize that the rights come along with their duties towards their society, their country and towards the world. Nothing is free in this world! If they want their rights, then they will have to sweat for it and have to fulfil some duties as good citizens. They should be solution-providers and not trouble-makers. They should understand their role in the development of the nation and provide constructive solutions. They should make the decision-making process more democratic, people-oriented and accountable. They should not only DREAM, but also world hard to make those dreams come true. So, there is a dire need to channelize their energies in the right direction.

I hope that Gen Z would be the change-makers that lead us to a better world for whole of humanity with their energy, intelligence and innovative ideas.

Till next time…