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‘Hearing out Gen Z’: Entrepreneur shares 24-year-old caretaker’s perspective after CJP protest
An entrepreneur shared how his 24-year-old caretaker's experience at the CJP protest changed his perspective on Gen Z.
A 24-year-old caretaker’s visit to the CJP protest at Jantar Mantar led to an unexpected conversation with his employer about Gen Z’s concerns and experiences. The young man, who works as an elder-care professional, had returned with an injured ankle after the protest.
His story was shared by entrepreneur Harshdeep Rapal, who said the conversation made him reflect on the differences between generations and the experiences that shape them.
Caretaker’s hidden protest visit surprises employer
In a post on X, Rapal wrote, “Hearing out Gen Z,” while sharing details about his father’s caretaker.
He said the 24-year-old man from Kanpur has completed BSc Nursing and works through an agency that provides elder-care professionals. Describing him as “a very diligent guy, soft-spoken and well-read”, Rapal said the caretaker spends 12 hours at their home from 8 am to 8 pm and rarely takes leave.
Rapal said that on July 20, the caretaker informed them that he was not feeling well. When he returned the next day, he was limping but did not share the reason behind his injury.
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Later, he told Rapal’s father that he had not revealed the truth earlier. He had gone to Jantar Mantar to support the students’ protest and was injured during a lathi-charge. While trying to move away from the situation, he lost his shoe and twisted his ankle.
Sharing the conversation, Rapal wrote, “Today morning when he came I talked to him and realised what ‘generation(al) gap’ means.”
‘Some things we have lived through are alien to him’
Rapal said speaking with the young man made him realise how differently people from different generations experience political and social changes.
He wrote that the caretaker was around 9 or 10 years old during the Anna movement and was still a child when several major political events took place in the country.
“Some of the things we have lived through are alien to him,” he wrote.
According to Rapal, when he asked why the caretaker and his friends joined the protest, the NEET exam leak was not the only concern they discussed.
The young man spoke about issues such as rising expenses, lack of job opportunities, corruption, infrastructure problems and everyday civic challenges.
“I felt he was just waiting to burst out everything that’s piled up in his mind. Glad that I heard him out,” Rapal wrote.
Take a look:
Internet users share their views
One user wrote, “You are spot on with this analogy. Indeed, most of them are not aspirants but people who want to vent out their frustration against the regime.”
Another commented, “Everybody deserves a life of dignity.”
A user questioned the way people express their concerns, writing, “Yeah and somehow they don’t find elections the right way to convey but chaos and anarchy on roads is the medium?”
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Another person wrote, “Very well written. He is too innocent to realise that nothing will change when systems are hijacked.”
A user also reflected on changing social conversations, writing, “I think I recognise the missing part: deep discussions, debates and exchange of thoughts among themselves.”
(Disclaimer: This report is based on user-generated content from social media. HT.com has not independently verified the claims and does not endorse them.)
