At Jantar Mantar, survival was the protest. A story beyond the memes
Viral videos captured the laughter, meme-oriented placards and Gen Z humour at New Delhi's Jantar Mantar. But beyond the memes were stories of aching bodies
Viral videos captured the laughter, meme-oriented placards and Gen Z humour at New Delhi's Jantar Mantar. But beyond the memes were stories of aching bodies sleeping on the pavements of Jantar Mantar, volunteers who worked tirelessly without expecting anything in return, strangers who became family, and young people who chose discomfort over silence. Away from the social media reels was another Jantar Mantar, one that smelled of sweat, damp bedsheets and public toilets, where survival itself became part of the protest. Read Full Story The protest site in New Delhi that became synonymous with satire, memes and Gen Z rebellion demanded something far less glamorous than online virality. It demanded endurance. For nearly a month, the Cockroach Janta Party (CJP), founded by Abhijeet Dipke in Boston, transformed New Delhi's designated protest site into a temporary township. Thousands of students, elderly and young volunteers occupied the stretch of Jantar Mantar, demanding Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan's resignation over the NEET-UG 2026 paper leak and other alleged irregularities in the education system. Their days revolved around speeches and slogans. Their nights revolved around finding enough space on the pavement to sleep. The government that prided itself on its ministers not resigning gave in on Saturday. Dharmendra Pradhan resigned on Saturday (July 25). Before that, for more than a month, life at the protest was stripped to its bare essentials. Protesters washed themselves using public taps, stood in long queues outside filthy public toilets, lived out of backpacks and endured Delhi's unforgiving July heat, followed by sticky monsoon nights. For women, the unhygienic washrooms brought an added anxiety. The condition of the washrooms put them at risk of urinary tract infection (UTI). Yet, every morning, they lined up again. Not many of those moments became viral. The internet mainly embraced another side of Jantar Mantar. Humorous placards, playful slogans, satirical performances and spontaneous dancing turned the protest into one of the most distinctive youth movements in recent memory. The memes helped the movement travel far beyond Delhi, attracting thousands who first encountered the protest on their phone screens before deciding to board trains and buses to join it. But after spending days at the protest site, one thing that couldn't be ignored was that the memes may have amplified the movement, but they did not sustain it. What kept Jantar Mantar alive were the ordinary people who never occupied the centre of the stage.
Volunteers who spent entire days arranging drinking water, bedding and meals instead of delivering speeches. Students who slept on concrete footpaths after travelling hundreds of kilometres because they believed their presence mattered. Hunger-strikers who entered the protest as strangers and, through weeks of shared uncertainty and physical suffering, became companions. It was these lesser-addressed acts of care and sacrifice that gave the protest its staying power. The memes brought attention. The masti went viral. But it was the sweat, exhaustion and quiet resilience of hundreds of ordinary youths that carried the movement through nearly a month and culminated in Pradhan's resignation. NIGHTS SPENT ON ROADS, STRUGGLE FOR CLEAN WASHROOMS As darkness settled over Jantar Mantar, protesters would quietly begin claiming small patches of pavement. Some spread thin bedsheets, others slept directly on flattened cardboard boxes. Bags were tucked under heads to keep valuables safe. The pavements of Jantar Mantar became a dormitory for hundreds of protesters. There were no fans except those located near the main stage. A slight breeze was considered a luxury. Amid all this, the morning brought another challenge. The public toilets, already struggling to serve the crowd, became one of the most difficult parts of life at the protest. For women protesters, the problem was even greater. Many avoided using the washrooms unless necessary because of poor hygiene. Doctors often warn that delaying urination or repeatedly using unhygienic public toilets increases the risk of UTI, making an already difficult protest physically more taxing for women. Yet every morning, they would line up again and start raising slogans against the government. Such moments are difficult to capture on camera. It is a struggle that is witnessed through one's eyes, not through the camera lens. I spent an entire night at Jantar Mantar, eating and sleeping like the protesters. You can read my experience here — I spent a night as a cockroach at CJP's Jantar Mantar protest. This is what I saw. THE INVISIBLE VOLUNTEERS WHO FUELLED THE PROTEST Every protest has speeches, slogans, and its own agenda. Fewer people notice the ones who make those speeches possible. Hasan Ali, 21, from Uttar Pradesh, was one of them. Within minutes of entering Jantar Mantar, it became impossible not to notice him. Someone wanted drinking water. Another elderly visitor needed a chair. A newcomer was searching for a place to sleep. Another protester wanted directions to the stage.
The BriefWire