From protest streets to the stage, Mumbai’s Gen Z voices speak out

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Writer and Comedian Varun Grover speaks during the Dil Se Bol: Mumbai With GenZ Rising program at Y B Chavan Centre in Mumbai on Monday. | Photo Credit: Emmanual Yogini

On Monday (August 24, 2026), Mumbai saw students, political representatives, performers and social media personalities gather to discuss youth participation in the recent protests and the role of young people in Indian politics.

The event titled “Dil Se Bol: Mumbai with Gen Z Rising” was organised by DIL Se Bol at the Y.B. Chavan Centre and hosted by stand-up comedian Varun Grover.

The event featured performances by poet Puneet Sharma and comedian Abish Mathew, followed by a panel discussion involving NCP (SP) spokesperson Anish Gawande, social media influencer Riya Ahir and Raghuram. Other poets and artists performed meaningful pieces with the theme of freedom and the protests.

Much of the discussion centred on the Cockroach Janta Party-led student protests . Ms. Ahir recalled her experience on July 20, when a photograph of her holding out her hand in front of a police van went viral.

“The incident on July 20 burned my blood. So I decided to step out and do something,” Ms. Ahir said. She also said that she photographed the vehicle’s number plate at the site and found that it did not bear the mandatory High-Security Registration Plate (HSRP). She also found nine other vehicles without the HSRP licenses.

Mr. Gawande spoke about the solidarity he witnessed during the protests, recalling people staying overnight at Jantar Mantar and volunteers distributing food and other essentials.

“No one expected that the resignation would happen. The most hopeful and powerful thing is that everyone who was there said they won’t go home until we get the resignation. There were times when 50 people were sleeping on the street throughout the night. One grandmother had come to bring food. One woman came from West Bengal and was distributing biscuits. This just shows that the Government can try, but they can’t break the spirit of India,” he said.

Actor Shabana Azmi, who also addressed the gathering, said the protests had challenged the perception that young people were politically disengaged. “The idea that India doesn’t care has been removed. We made the wrong accusations against the youth saying they don’t do anything, but we never set a good example for them. The sight I saw when I was at the protest on July 19, 20, was surreal. We matter, and the youth has shown us that we matter,” she said.

AISA national president Neha Bora, in her closing remarks, also spoke about the July 20 protests and questioned the use of tear gas against people gathered at Jantar Mantar. She said the demonstrations reflected an anger among young people that is rooted in a history of injustice that has been going on in the country, and even criticised mainstream television news coverage.

“There is pent-up anger in the youth of our nation. Godi media has earned the disrespect of Gen Z by falsifying the realities of what happened during the protests,” she said.