The student protest at Jantar Mantar has sparked national introspection, prompting parents to question their life choices and their trust in the existing system. At its heart, the demonstration underscores the fundamental demand for quality education and a just evaluation process, viewed as the most critical path to social mobility and fairness for the less privileged segments of society. The article provides a comprehensive overview of the situation, incorporating perspectives from key figures including government ministers, the family of a protest leader, and former police officials, alongside expert analysis on the role of protests in democratic governance and international comparisons. It also uses the impactful story of a success through the Kerala Public Service Commission to illustrate the profound hope such systems offer, while simultaneously acknowledging broader societal issues like corruption that can undermine this trust.

The student protest at Jantar Mantar has sparked national introspection, prompting parents to question their life choices and their trust in the existing system. At its heart, the demonstration underscores the fundamental demand for quality education and a just evaluation process, viewed as the most critical path to social mobility and fairness for the less privileged segments of society. The article provides a comprehensive overview of the situation, incorporating perspectives from key figures including government ministers, the family of a protest leader, and former police officials, alongside expert analysis on the role of protests in democratic governance and international comparisons. It also uses the impactful story of a success through the Kerala Public Service Commission to illustrate the profound hope such systems offer, while simultaneously acknowledging broader societal issues like corruption that can undermine this trust.

The student protest at Jantar Mantar has sparked national introspection, prompting parents to question their life choices and their trust in the existing system. At its heart, the demonstration underscores the fundamental demand for quality education and a just evaluation process, viewed as the most critical path to social mobility and fairness for the less privileged segments of society. The article provides a comprehensive overview of the situation, incorporating perspectives from key figures including government ministers, the family of a protest leader, and former police officials, alongside expert analysis on the role of protests in democratic governance and international comparisons. It also uses the impactful story of a success through the Kerala Public Service Commission to illustrate the profound hope such systems offer, while simultaneously acknowledging broader societal issues like corruption that can undermine this trust.

THE PROTEST BY students in Jantar Mantar weighs heavily on the nation’s conscience today. My heart broke at the sight of the weeping child who asked the Delhi Police, “I am like your daughter, how can you hit me?” I do not envy the position of the police on the ground right now. Anyone who has ever been in uniform knows that deployment is not about personal choices. It is hard, and heartbreaking on all sides.

More than just anger against the government, every parent’s and grandparent’s angst is against oneself, and it is rooted in one question: Did I let down my child and my grandchild by my choices in life? These choices cover a large canvas—from the votes we cast in Lok Sabha, assembly and local body elections to our own financial and career choices, to our decision not to migrate and remain citizens of our motherland. And the biggest choice of all—to trust the system.

All these decisions and everything in between are in question right now. Education coupled with a fair evaluation system is often the only justice that the poor and the middle classes desire. If not this story, what else could we put on the cover this week?

The cover package by Senior Associate Editor Pratul Sharma and Senior Correspondent Shubhangi Shah covers the events on Ground Zero, the conversations in the shadows and the corridors of power, and the road ahead for all stakeholders. Delhi Bureau Chief Namrata Biji Ahuja spoke to Union Parliamentary Affairs Minister Kiren Rijiju about the government’s response to the protest. She, along with Correspondent Badar Bashir, also interviewed Gitanjali Angmo, Sonam Wangchuk’s wife—“We are the first ones who want this protest to end,” she says, “but not before the goal is accomplished.” Former Delhi police commissioner Rakesh Asthana addresses the challenge I highlighted above—the struggle of policing protests. Rashed Al Mahmud Titumir, adviser to the prime minister of Bangladesh, makes a crucial point in his piece: “Protest should inform parliament, and parliament should respond to protest.” Ambika Pd. Joshi, a visiting faculty at Kathmandu University, draws parallels between the protests in India and Nepal, and dissects what they reveal.

The rumble around the world is also adding to the worry in India. Things are flaring up in the Middle East, just when we thought that fuel prices (and every other price that rose with it) would come down. Ambassador Sunjay Sudhir, who represented India in the UAE, explains what the failed US-Iran deal means for India.

Rupanjana Dutta, an editor in the UK, writes about the new prime minister, Andrew Burnham. I was in splits when I recently came across Burnham’s words in 2007. “I think marriage is better for kids,” said Burnham. “I’m a bit old-fashioned on these matters—although I have to admit that Jimmy, my eldest son, was at our wedding so I am only old-fashioned up to a point.” Imagine a prime minister, or anyone in public office, saying that in India and getting away unscathed!

Let me stop with a Facebook post that I saw, which fits in with the larger theme of protests in Jantar Mantar. This was about allegations of corruption in the Kerala Public Service Commission. The post was addressed “To those who sever the strings of the PSC—the kite that elevates the humblest—and to those whose hearts are broken by it (loose translation).”

The writer of the post, K.S. Ratheesh, said he was an orphan who went on to secure the first rank in a PSC exam for higher secondary teachers. He now has a family, children and a monthly salary of over Rs1 lakh. All because of that PSC exam.

“It didn’t come cheap,” he wrote. “You cannot fathom the sight of a waiter standing at a bar, poring over a bundle of old question papers during a lull between customers. The boy who quietly swallowed his hunger, the cleaning boy at the theatre, is today a gazetted teacher. I sign in green ink for many people, and I buy and eat whatever my heart desires.

“Just the other day on a train, a young boy sat opposite me, heading home after appearing for a PSC exam. His eyes kept scanning my phone, my clothes and my shoes. I know him. He is my replica. The kite of hope he holds in his hands today—and that I once held in mine—is the PSC. And it is that very string you are trying to cut.”

Is it just me who sees many replicas of Ratheesh in Jantar Mantar?

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