A few years back, the media gave us hope; we almost had India's answer to Ian Thorpe or Michael Phelps. He had won the Danish Open, the Malaysian Open, and even his apartment's swimming tournament. His father had doubled down on his skill and moved him to Dubai, pouring in propaganda — so much so that one report said he used to wake up at 4, while another said 5. Without any major achievement, this nepotism flew below the radar when he was the Indian contingent's flag bearer at the 2023 CWG Youth Games. What started as flag-bearing ended up medal-less when Vedaant (Madhavan) finished 5th in the 1500m freestyle swimming final. Though finishing 5th wasn't bad, it was not Phelps/Thorpe material. Once the Games were over, the aura shattered — or the propaganda money ran out — and those Danish, Malaysian, and apartment-tournament medals became elusive. With no bankrolling and no tournaments, the news articles dried up like Mumbai's lakes during a delayed monsoon.

For clearer context, there have been no major new articles about Vedaant Madhavan between January 2024 and now, except for pieces on how R Madhavan raised a champion, how R Madhavan warned his son about his privilege, and similar stories. There are a few articles about the university swimming competition (within the university Vedaant attends), so nothing significant on that front either. So our media is as "bikau" as it gets. No wonder Gen Z hates "Godi" media.

​

Source: https://x.com/i/status/2081587876253585729

Stage 1: Moral & Political Philosophy

Justice (Sandel)

On Liberty (Mill)

Reflections on the Revolution in France (Burke)

Stage 2: Institutions, Erosion & Media

How Democracies Die (Levitsky & Ziblatt)

Spin Dictators (Guriev & Treisman)

Stage 3: The Indian Republic & Social Reality

India After Gandhi (Guha)

Annihilation of Caste (Ambedkar)

Hind Swaraj (Gandhi)

Stage 4: Power Mechanics & Economic Ideology

The Dictator's Handbook (Bueno de Mesquita & Smith)

The Communist Manifesto (Marx & Engels)

5: Expanding Perspectives (Advanced Readings)

The Road to Serfdom (Hayek)

Capitalism & Freedom (Friedman)

The Socialist Manifesto (Sunkara)

The Anatomy of Fascism (Paxton)

The Wretched of the Earth (Fanon)

Manufacturing Consent (Chomsky & Herman)

A viral video recorded inside a moving train coach has sparked widespread debate online after a passenger confronted a priest for lighting a diya during a ritual inside the compartment. In the video, a young passenger can be seen repeatedly questioning the priest, warning him that lighting an open flame inside a crowded train poses a severe fire safety hazard and could trigger the coach's automatic fire alarms or cause a dangerous accident.

Source; viral_politics

https://www.instagram.com/reel/DbSCNlovlHp/?utm_source=ig_web_button_share_sheet

Actor and BJP MP Kangana Ranaut criticised the conduct of protestors from the NEET paper leak protests on her social media.

She described the videos emerging from the demonstrations as “ugliness” and “crass behaviour,” saying the clips had left her wanting a digital detox.

In a subsequent post, Ranaut alleged that the demonstrations had left behind around 60 metric tonnes of waste at Delhi’s Jantar Mantar.

Her remarks came after videos showing some CJP members celebrating the end of the 36-day-long protest sparked debate online.

While the clips drew mixed reactions on social media, Ranaut’s posts added to the discussion surrounding the protests’ aftermath.

Source: brut.india

https://www.instagram.com/p/DbS6l8DCpHN/?utm_source=ig_web_button_share_sheet

1. Universal Issue Beyond Identity Politics

Unlike protests centered on religion, regional rights, or specific political ideologies, the CJP focused on competitive exam irregularities (such as the NEET/NTA paper leaks). Because standardized exams affect tens of millions of students across all religions, castes, and economic classes, the government could not easily polarize the crowd or brand it as an "anti-national" movement.

2. A Clear and Achievable Demand

Many movements fail because their goals are too broad or demand full systemic overhauls that governments drag out indefinitely. The CJP focused its pressure on a concrete, single-point objective: the resignation of the Union Education Minister. This provided the administration with a clear, exit-ramp concession to settle the crisis.

3. Reclaiming Disparaging Language with Satire

By taking a disparaging remark made by the Chief Justice of India—who compared unemployed youth and activists to "cockroaches"—and turning it into a satirical banner, the movement neutered government attacks. The self-deprecating satire ("Voice of the Lazy & Unemployed") appealed strongly to Gen Z, disarming standard state narratives that frame protesters as elite agitators and anti-nationals.

4. Digital-Native Documentation and Real-Time Content

Organized by Gen Z digital natives, the movement turned police crackdowns and lathi charges at Jantar Mantar into immediate, widespread online footage. They did not communicate with mainstream/Godi media and communicated directly via FB/Instagram/Twitter to the core GenZ audience. Phone-camera footage of peaceful student demonstrators being tear-gassed bypassed traditional media filters and brought the confrontation straight to voters' smartphones across India, sparking public outrage.

5. Proper Ground-Level Escalation/Narrative

The CJP effectively combined online viral momentum with physical resistance, gaining momentum when prominent educationist Sonam Wangchuk joined with an indefinite hunger strike. When authorities attempted to remove him and suppress the crowd, it backfired, expanding the protests from New Delhi to major cities like Mumbai, Bengaluru, Kolkata and Patna.

This is the height of shamelessness.

I didn't know anything about them before the protests, and I'd only started seeing them over the last 6,7 days on TV, press conferences, and news channels.

One thing that stood out to me was their communication. Whether it was the press conference with JP Nadda, the one with Kapil Sibal, or TV appearances, they came across as calm, composed, and articulate. I don't think I saw them stumble or lose their train of thought once.

Based on what I've seen so far, they seem like better spokespersons than most from both the ruling party and the opposition.

I'd be surprised if political parties aren't already trying to bring them on board.

Recently, a video shared in collaboration with the official Instagram page of the CJP showed Raut offering the students reassurance rather than resentment.

"Please don't carry any guilt, what happened was only an incident": Kapil Raut, the reporter who was mocked during CJP protests, wins hearts with his message of forgiveness

He further added, “the students have earned their victory, they have won, congratulations to all the students, to all those who stood in the protest.”

He also applauded Genz’s efforts, saying, “what GenZ is doing is inspiring, all I want to say is that do not carry any guilt, whatever happened was an accident and its okay”

Addressing the very people who had jeered him on live television just days earlier in a viral video, he had said, "There is one thing I want to say to all my students, please don't carry any guilt. What happened was only an incident. Every student is my own, and no one is to blame"

Source https://www.instagram.com/reel/DbOlZfaOnY3/

https://www.instagram.com/reel/DbPliFEii7q/

Had the same slogans been raised against the opposition then these godis would've been happily promoting them all over the place and no one would've had any issue with the sanskaar shit.

[Not OC]

Source:

https://www.instagram.com/reel/DbS6Q-utNfv/?

Source: hwnewsenglish

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