Pune, Every generation has had its share of protests, and Gen Z is no different, noted author Amish Tripathi has said, but stressed that dissent should always remain within the constitutional framework as envisioned by Dr B R Ambedkar.
Young people have every right to protest, provided they pursue change through constitutional means, Tripathi told PTI during the promotion of his new children's book 'Dhruv - Tara: The Great Indian History Quiz' in Pune on Saturday.
The bestselling author also stressed the need to "decolonise" the teaching of Indian history, noting that many school textbooks still carry colonial‑era "biases".
Thousands of Gen Z students recently joined protests across the country, led by the Cockroach Janta Party, against the NEET paper leak and other exam irregularities. One of their key demands was met on July 25, when Dharmendra Pradhan resigned as Union Education Minister.
Tripathi said, "Every generation, when they were of college age, has participated in protests. Take the Boomer generation, who are now the grandparents of the current generation. At that time, the Naxalite movement was in full swing and involved armed rebellion."
The next generation, Gen X, also took part in various protests, such as the Mandal agitation, the author noted.
{{/usCountry}}The next generation, Gen X, also took part in various protests, such as the Mandal agitation, the author noted.
{{/usCountry}}"Millennials, too, had their own protests, including the anti-corruption movement of 2011-12," he pointed out.
It is not okay to single out Gen Z for participating in protests, Tripathi said, adding that previous generations had also witnessed major agitations.
"My only thing is as long as it does not go into the unconstitutional territory," he said, referring to Ambedkar's "Grammar of Anarchy" speech.
"We have a constitutional system now in India. We must follow the constitutional system and push for reforms we want through constitutional means. If they're protesting, they have every right to. Every generation has done it before," he added.
The author also spoke about the need to "decolonise" the teaching of Indian history, saying many school textbooks continue to reflect colonial-era biases.
"Many things are still carrying a colonised version of history," he said, adding that his new book seeks to present historical facts from "a decolonised perspective" through an engaging story.
"The idea of this book is actually to teach the kids facts from a decolonised perspective, under the garb of a fun story, so that they can enjoy themselves but through it still learn some stuff," he said.
Tripathi said his interactions with students during the book promotion tour had shown that history remained one of the least engaging subjects for many children.
"Seventy to eighty per cent" of students raise their hands when asked if they find history boring, he claimed.
"We have actually made what is a very important subject into something very boring because of the way it's being taught, because of the textbooks," he said, adding that history should be communicated through stories rather than rote learning.
Drawing inspiration from classical Indian traditions of storytelling, Tripathi said he has attempted to make history enjoyable through Dhruv-Tara, an adventure featuring two 11-year-old rivals, Dhruv and Tara, who are forced to work together for a national history quiz.
"This is essentially an adventure of two kids, Dhruv and Tara... through that adventure, you discover things that are not there in your textbooks," he said while promoting his new book at Solanki Booksellers, a decades-old roadside bookstall in the Pune cantonment area.
The author expressed hope that the book would encourage children to develop a greater interest in Indian history while discovering lesser-known historical facts in an entertaining way.
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