The Nepal youth-led uprising of September 2026 has made waves in South Asia across internet platforms as a testament to the potential power of youth in directing political dialogues. Similarly, trends and movements that are focused on a centralised induction of youths in governance are manifestos of political parties. Furthermore, the internet has become a breeding ground for the same discourse. The Gen Z, which includes people that are born at the latter end of the last millennium and the beginning of the new one, have vocalized their desire and disdain for the political order that dictates the country. The Internet has blown up in the past few weeks with the Cockroach Janta Party, a satirical political party with a vision claiming to build a political movement for those who have been systematically ignored, overlooked, and underserved by traditional politics. My concern for the article is not a deliberation on the many aspects of the aforementioned movements. In understanding political consciousness among youths and children, the piece would like to discuss the Manipuri youth and their relevance to the Internet movement, against a claim of a groundbreaking phenomenon.
Children and students’ involvement in politics and dialogues are not foreign to the troubled history of Manipur. School students, particularly from the government schools in the valley, have been actively subjected to protests and rubber bullets, with a recorded history of death and protest casualties, leaving schools and colleges closed with civil unrest trauma. The killing of Sapam Robinhood in 2015 on account of the demand for the Inner Line Permit System can be a case for reference. The demography of students who are part of the demonstrations revealed a greater concern, which is the question of class, and the students subjected to the violence. Therefore, the involvement of youth and students, particularly school-going students, in protest and politics is a matter of child rights concern, rather than a matter of aspirations with which one might associate on the internet.
Children at the forefront of a political movement are a testimony to the troubled circumstances of the state. In placing my case for the students, while the Gen Zs are adults as of 2026 and are protesting on the internet, it would not be wrong to suggest that the youths have always been protesting on the streets, in universities, or against institutions, not just in Manipur. From the JNU uprising to Jadavpur University to the Citizenship Amendment Act and NRC, students in India have been involved in political dialogues and resistance. Children at the forefront and school uniforms stained with blood are visuals common to the 21st-century student movement in Manipur. Thus, the matter becomes clear that students in Manipur get involved in protests and political dialogues because of circumstances and not as ideological choices. It is imperative to question the disparity in matters of engagement with the movements and the factors of relevance, class, and visual aesthetics that decide so. To conclude, the performance of the purpose should not precede the purpose of the movement.
The writer is an independent researcher and storyteller. He holds a masters degree in English Literature from the University of Delhi.
