English speaking cultural icons in India have always made a lot more money than those who can’t. Their self assured regal presence, their grey-edged laconic attitudes and witty asides in the vernaculars have been in demand everywhere in the media, in literary fests and as emcees on stage – until in 2026 they suddenly can’t. They are dazed immigrants in this new digital world where the young control the social-media communicating in a new ‘khichdi’ language with limited number of words propped up with music and memes.Problem with the old (read boomers and Gen-X-verging-on-boomerdom), is that they are used to an era of talking emotionally to vast audiences but without actual feeling. Saying for example, ‘Ma aaj bhi bahut yaad aati hai (I still remember Mother a lot)’ in a choked voice to find emotive resonance within their traditional audiences. Their bête noire, the cockroaches, have already sensed this. Their antennae share this gift with actual roaches whose sense of self preservation helps them overcome greed. When faced with new sugar-coated pesticides, the roaches cut out sugar altogether. Gen Z does this too. Threatened by the acute power differential between the system’s controllers and their generation’s vulnerable existence as citizens, Gen Z are impervious to sweet condescending speeches about India’s ‘youth dividend’. Older generations ‘forgiving’ the protesters as if they were children have no currency either. What if our leaders had realised the young see it as public humiliation and taken a deep breath and invited the Cockroach Janata Party leaders and their self chosen representatives while there was time. They could even have offered that the young come to hear the parliament discuss these issues just for one day in a session no political party could choose to ignore in their own interest, if nothing else. Instead the lady in pearls called them ‘generation gutter’. And the Power Pack either bad mouthed them or receded into silence. All the while also giving police forces in some areas a wink and a nod to use physical force and then milking it to create another narrative with whataboutery. As things stand after the somewhat inglorious end of the Monsoon Session of the parliament, this is a position that the CJP and its followers maintain steadily. To them, identities of their deemed adversaries have become opinions and opinions their sole identities. Like all generations of children growing up surrounded by overpoweringly domineering elders, the CJP and its supporters stand armed with intuitive knowledge about the tricks employed by The Other as also their trigger points that when employed, will help bare their true faces and intent to hang on to power. So India is at the moment close to an emotionally charged Hindi family drama on OTT that has multiple generations locked in conflicts straight out of Ekta Kapoor dramas. Each side claims to be right and unwilling to concede an inch of ground. Each side holds meetings in huddles strategising on how to suppress the revolt against vital discipline that holds things together and/or to snatch back their independence and walk out.God knows who inspired the ruling group to celebrate International Youth Day on August 12, as a last ditch effort to pour oil over troubled waters. This was preceded by the usual flurry of one sided messages in the media heaping praises on our youth. The PM posted a message in Hindi, praising India’s youth, “the present and the future of the nation” and praised how the young have created an image for themselves with sensitivity, a service ethic and capabilities. The by now globally famous cockroaches took it in waving their antennae slowly. Then they became more inclusive and spoke of Gen Alpha’s outstanding problem, a dysfunctional and opaque school system. Their leader Abhijeet Dipke noted how a post about Nagpur girl students demanding bus transport because their school is 7 km away surfaced in social media. After CJP’s two-day strategy session in Maharashtra, the outfit not only announced a list of its office bearers but it also brought out an agenda that said that on Independence Day, the CJP will launch a ‘School Theek Karo (set the school system right)’ movement. Come September this will be followed by the launch of a flagship national listening campaign ‘Kya Bolti Public? (What is the public saying)’ on September 1. During this the leadership of the party will travel all over India “to shape a citizen-driven youth Reform Charter.” Periodic updates will follow. As is obvious, in days to come, the CJP will take the Gen Apha in its fold and go on to invite Boomers and Gen X to a direct public confrontation using social media instead of mainstream reporters and anchors they no longer trust. In those midnight’s children boomers in the Ved Vyas-mode like this columnist, living in self-imposed exile in their retirement pads with their phones and TV remotes in hand, a certain hope-laced curiosity about what-happens-next is being seen. Today unbelievable things are happening. Our screens, in a series of firsts in 75 years of Independence showed the ruling party protesting against the opposition outside the Parliament with placards asking the opposition to apologise for the violence in Ranchi against student protesters. This was followed by scenes of the last day of the Monsoon Session where the opposition was outside and forlorn looking treasury benches stood singing Vande Mataram with sad faces. Should we pity the challenged vanishing power of old lions a bit, so close to us in age ? Given how some of the frostiness of their political lives seems to have bled into their often messed up personal lives as well? Isn’t Gen X’s confusion about cause and effect of misrule of last decade, a little too harsh and dismissive? Can they call themselves ‘we, the modern ones’, or ‘Vayam Adhunikah,’ like the philosopher Udayanacharya of 10th century Mithila, forgetting the six great philosophers who gave them the Shad Darshan, or six branches of philosophy? Scene by scene as this Mahabharat of 2026 unfolds, we may glimpse the answers partially and maybe just once. We should be happy with that. The poet Ved Vyas having concluded the writing of his epic confessed to Ganesh that not even Sanjay who had been narrating the war to the blind king Dhritarashtra, may fully understand the real history captured in the Mahabharat. Surely he was onto something. Saakhi is a Sunday column from Mrinal Pande, in which she writes of what she sees and also participates in. That has been her burden to bear ever since she embarked on a life as a journalist, writer, editor, author and as chairperson of Prasar Bharti. Her journey of being a witness-participant continues.