Gen Z is teaching some of us to speak again

Cockroach Janta Party's protest at Jantar Mantar on July 25. 4 min readJul 29, 2026 05:53 PM IST First published on: Jul 29, 2026 at 05:53 PM IST By Sudip Sharma Every generation grows up with a certain set of values that become their defining characteristics. For my parents’ generation, the midnight’s children, those values were hope and survival. I always thought the primary value my generation grew up with was doggedness, an ability to adjust to anything the world threw at us and to somehow find a way to get to the other side of it. We wore this badge proudly and bemoaned the generations that followed us (specifically Gen Z) for not having the same work ethic as us, for having the imperviousness to refuse what – to our “boomer” brains – was a legitimate call of duty. Recent events at Ja