On September 28 we marked the 118th birth anniversary of Bhagat Singh. Bhagat Singh and his comrades are figures whom the people of India revere for their sacrifices and vision of struggle. Whether on his martyrdom day or his birth anniversary, both the exploited and the oppressors in India remember him. The oppressor class remembers him because they cannot dismiss the sacrifices of these martyrs, yet they are unnerved by his ideas. This unease forces them to suppress, hide, or limit Bhagat Singh’s ideas to merely labeling him a "great person" or a "freedom fighter." Sometimes, they are even compelled to attempt to divide his legacy between "extremist" and "moderate" factions.
Bhagat Singh's goal was the complete end of the exploitation of one individual by another, and one nation by another. Today, we still see that the India of his dreams has not been built, which is why his ideals and vision remain as relevant as ever.
The youth who struggled against British imperialism, at the same age as Bhagat Singh and his companions, would be called 'Gen Z' in today’s language. Their dream of an anti-imperialist, exploitation-free society is often obscured. Bhagat Singh knew that the youth must be at the forefront of any movement for change.
The Lahore Manifesto of the Naujawan Bharat Sabha (Youth India Association) states:
"The youth are brave, generous, and passionate. The youth endure the most terrible inhumane tortures with a smile. The entire history of human progress has been written with the courage, self-sacrifice, and emotional conviction of the youth. Reforms have only been possible on the strength of the youth's power, courage, and faith." Bhagat Singh appealed to the youth to rise above religion, caste, and narrow-mindedness, and to adopt a scientific and logical outlook.
Today, youth in South Asian nations like Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, and Nepal have embodied Bhagat Singh's ideas. The movement in Nepal was widely described as a 'Gen Z' uprising. Gen Z is the future of any nation—a truth Bhagat Singh himself proclaimed. Nepal’s youth fought against corruption, unemployment, economic crisis, and leaders clinging to power, a struggle that eventually led to the ousting of the Koli government.
The situation has been similar in Bangladesh and Sri Lanka. In Bangladesh, students and youth took to the streets to protest inflation, unemployment, and corruption. Their opposition to nepotism and attacks on democratic rights ultimately forced Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina to flee the country. In Sri Lanka, too, youth protested against inflation, corruption, and unemployment, leading to President Gotabaya Rajapaksa’s departure. In all these places, the youth's discontent has been primarily fuelled by inflation, unemployment, corruption, and nepotism.
In India as well, young people have periodically taken to the streets to defend democratic values and protest unemployment and corruption. Youth protested the Agnipath scheme in Bihar. In Delhi, they demonstrated against rigging in the SSC exams and were met with police batons. Students preparing for the UPSC launched extensive protests in Rajendra Nagar, Delhi. And now, large-scale movements are underway in Uttarakhand and Ladakh.
In Uttarakhand, youth are on the streets against paper leaks, exposing widespread corruption. In Ladakh, the youth are protesting for the restoration of democracy (demanding a Legislative Assembly). The root cause of all these movements is the increasing unemployment, corruption, and insecurity among the youth.
The youth movement in Ladakh is a symbol of the growing despair towards the government and the outrage over a bleak future. Yet, unlike the Gen Z movement in Nepal, it has not received adequate media coverage. The government attempted to label the movement as seditious by invoking the National Security Act (NSA) against activist Sonam Wangchuk.
The main demands of the youth in Ladakh are:
* Democratic Rights: After being made a Union Territory, Ladakh lost its Legislative Assembly, denying local people participation in policymaking.
* Demand for the Sixth Schedule: The majority of Ladakh's population belongs to tribal communities. Before the revocation of Article 370, Ladakh's land and resources were under local control, but this control is now lost. The youth fear that external corporations and capitalists will seize Ladakh's land, water, and mineral resources.
* Unemployment and Education Crisis: There is a severe shortage of government jobs and higher education institutions. An economy overly reliant on tourism does not provide permanent employment. Army service has been reduced to four years. Despite new promises, employment and development have not materialized. The unemployment rate for the 15-29 age group was 22.2% in 2023-24.
* Environmental and Climate Crisis: Ladakh is a sensitive Himalayan ecological zone. Glaciers are rapidly melting, and the water crisis is worsening. Youth and activists warn that mining, industrialization, and uncontrolled tourism will exacerbate the crisis.
* Cultural Insecurity: The local culture, based on the Buddhist and Muslim (Shia) communities, is threatened by external pressures and market forces. Youth are on the streets to save their identity and heritage.
Four young people died and nearly 50 were injured in this movement. The Indian media did not give it the prominence it gave to the Nepal protests, limiting the narrative to Sonam Wangchuk's arrest and his foreign tours for environmental seminars.
Bhagat Singh, Rajguru, and Sukhdev were hanged for fighting against imperialism and for their vision of democracy, a sacrifice that galvanized the entire nation. Yet today, four young people have died in Ladakh fighting for their democratic rights. Is this the democracy that Bhagat Singh and his comrades sacrificed their lives for? Today, we are witnessing the shattering of those martyrs’ dreams.
We recall the words of the Naujawan Bharat Sabha:
"Our country is passing through a state of disorganization. Distrust and despair reign all around. The great leaders of the country have lost their ideals, and most of them have not won the confidence of the masses… There is anarchy all around. But anarchy is a necessary phase in the process of nation-building. It is in such critical times that the honesty of workers is tested, their character is built, and the real program is formed. When work begins with new enthusiasm, new hopes, and new zeal, there is no cause for low morale."
Whatever is happening today—be it in Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, Nepal, or India—is a warning sign for a better change in the future. We must show solidarity with the youth of the world and our own country's Gen Z. The relevance of Bhagat Singh's ideas lies in our commitment to building a people's democratic India.
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*Social activist and journalist
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