🎙️ Cockroaches or Angry Youth? | Oldies Talk to Gen Z | Mani Shankar x Gurmehar Kaur | Ep. 38

At 85, Mani Shankar Aiyar, joined by Suneet Vir Singh (80+), sits down with 28-year-old Gurmehar Kaur—named by TIME Magazine in 2017 among the “10 Most Influential Youth in the World”—to discuss the fallout of the CJI’s controversial remark on unemployed youth as “cockroaches.” In light of the CJI’s subsequent clarification, this conversation shifts away from personalities and toward the deeper question: what does the meteoric rise of the not-yet-political “Cockroach Janata Party”—now claiming over 25 million followers—actually tell us about India’s youth? Is this a replay of AAP’s early anti-establishment energy? A transient social media phenomenon? An elite, English-speaking movement of “Macaulay ki Aulad”? Or does it reflect something deeper—a serious stirring among frustrated Gen Z Indians disillusioned with politics as usual? The discussion also examines the founder’s disavowal of any “outside influence,” and questions comparisons with student-led political upheavals in Sri Lanka, Bangladesh, and Nepal. Why has the Government responded sharply to these Instagram “Aandolanjeevi”? What explains the explosion of youth frustration, irony, satire, and political disengagement? Three generations. Three perspectives. No easy answers. Watch for a sober, nuanced discussion that captures the excitement of the moment while allowing for freewheeling exploration of where India’s youth politics may be headed next. #cockroachjantaparty #abhijeetdipke #gurmeharkaur #manishankaraiyar #suneetvirsingh #genz #youthpolitics #indianpolitics #unemployment #politicalpodcast #currentaffairs #studentpolitics #socialmedia #youthvoices #indiandemocracy #podcast #politicalcommentary