Is there anyone in this country who does not have an opinion on the protest by Gen Z at Jantar Mantar? How many have formed one themselves and how many are continually chasing memes, reels and podcasts to formulate one is another matter. Many from my generation and circle of friends have gone there to see and imbibe some of that energy into their own lives. It must be said that there was something truly electrifying about it and that the protest radiated an energy and attraction that even its most cynical critics were compelled to admit.Given this, why was our own government so notably absent? This is a question that they will have to confront to accept that their arrogance is going to cost them heavily. When the PM finally decided to send a selfie message at midnight, it was too little, too late. Moreover, everyone could see that the confidence that he normally exudes was visibly missing.I have lived long enough to remember virtually all the public protests that have taken place down the decades. Each one has resulted in cataclysmic changes so do not be surprised if this one, too, redefines the relationship between rulers and the ruled. Do remember that such movements have also betrayed the trust placed in them and once the political parties became their public face, they turned many supporters into cynics. Each one, from JP’s movement to Anna Hazare’s fast, eventually became a way for many to build their political careers. Also, the history of all youth protests, from the AASU in Assam to the Uttarakhand Krantikari movement in India to similar ones in Sri Lanka, Myanmar, Bangladesh and Nepal, achieved their goal but after the initial euphoria, came political turmoil that went on for years. I pray that this does not happen this time.Let me now tell you about the generations that grew up in India after Independence. The ones who were born and brought up in the ’50s and ’60s were what Salman Rushdie has memorably described as Midnight’s Children, like me. Our parents were devoted followers of Gandhiji and later, Nehru. Having witnessed the violence of two World Wars, non-violence was an article of faith for them. Not just that, they bore the years of rationing and deprivation with stoic fortitude. Our parents valued a good education above all else. Their faith in government-run educational institutions and hospitals was so firmly practised that we all studied in Indian universities and rare was the person who went abroad to study in my youth. Rarer were those who stayed on there after earning their degrees. Read Nirad Chaudhury to get a picture of what it was to grow up in that India.These were the foundational decades of our country and our parents were strict disciplinarians who made sure that those values were never forgotten. We were forbidden to swear or use coarse language or raise our voices when speaking to elders. Girls were restricted from going out alone, or wearing clothes that were considered vulgar. More than that was the unspoken rule that girls and boys had separate lives and, in many cases, girls were married off as soon as a suitable boy was found. Of course, we grumbled privately but few had the courage to defy parental laws.Come now to the next generation (largely the late ’60s and ’70s), known as the Boomers. They defiantly wore colourful clothes, flared jeans and sported long hair. They worshipped the Beatles and the Beat generation poets who questioned the false ‘goodness’ of the earlier generation. It was de rigueur to be a Leftie and in the metro cities, at least, a deep commitment to the Naxal movement took root. India had shed its frugality and many early revolutionary supporters returned to join the civil services, academia or boxwallah jobs. In my mother’s memorable definition of this was her wry remark, “Between us and our children there was a generation gap, between you all and your kids, I see a degeneration gap.” Another time, she told my sister, “We were scared of our in-laws, not our children. You all are no longer scared of your in-laws, then why are you so scared of your children?”However, while this may apply to our metro cities of the time, in small-town India this lot was generically described as ‘Hippies’ and had a status just above the cockroach. They were our CJP and gave birth to the Argumentative Indian.I am deeply impressed by Gen Z’s defiant protest (since we were so timid when we were their age) and as for Gen Alpha, I give up. However, this I will say that while we deplore the breakdown of our institutions — the Parliament, the judiciary, the Election Commission, our educational institutions and hospitals — we are all complicit in this. As parents, grandparents and teachers, we have failed our duties and allowed a once-vibrant democracy to devolve into a near autocracy.The behaviour of our elected representatives in Parliament, the vile language that is hurled when addressing political rivals and the utter disregard for debates and regular attendance is shameful. Tharoor is dead right when he says that the delimitation Bill, when implemented, will only increase the chaos in our Parliament. When we can’t seem to manage 543, how will we handle 850-odd members? Is this what this generation has fought for?— The writer is a social commentator