New Delhi: It is Day 20 of the Cockroach Janta Party (CJP) protest at Jantar Mantar and Day 11 of their hunger strike. The monsoons have finally arrived and the capital city is drenched. So is the protest site. The security checks for those visiting the protesting cockroaches seem stricter than usual and the police present look tense. I soon find out why. Permission has been denied to the protestors to bring extra tarpaulins to the protest site, and so a group of protestors have simply sat down on the tarpaulins they were trying to bring in just outside the protest perimeter. They are ringed by an exceptionally large number of stone-faced security personnel from the Delhi Police and the Rapid Action Force (RAF).Police and security personnel initially denied protestors permission to bring in the tarpaulins. Photo: Rohit Kumar.Mudita, a student associated with the Krantikari Yuva Sangathan (KYS) that has been part of the protest since it began is asking the police and security personnel present why they aren’t being allowed to bring in the tarpaulins. “We are not asking you for a Gaganyaan to fly to the moon! We are only asking to bring in extra tarpaulins because it has been raining and everyone has been getting drenched!”A senior police officer tells her they have not received “permission” to let the tarpaulins in.Mudita then raises her voice and addresses the huge force surrounding her and her comrades: “You do understand, don’t you, that we are protesting for the right of YOUR children to a good education as well? We want a country where everyone has access to good education, not just the children of the rich and the ministers!”I look carefully at the faces of the security personnel standing around and wonder what they might be thinking but are not allowed to express.KYS, a students’ organisation that works on issues pertaining to students associated with Delhi University’s Delhi’s School of Open Learning, also campaigns on issues such as access to public education, students’ rights, workers’ rights and the condition of government schools.According to a strongly worded press statement put out by the National Federation of Indian Women (NFIW) later that day, Shreya, a woman activist of the All India Students’ Federation (AISF) was allegedly assaulted and manhandled by male personnel of the Delhi Police at the protest site:“According to reports, due to heavy rainfall, students’ books and essential belongings were getting soaked and damaged. They were merely requesting the police to allow them to take their tent and tarpaulin inside to protect their belongings. While others were reportedly permitted to do so, the students were denied the same. When they protested this discriminatory treatment, male police personnel allegedly pushed Shreya to the ground and subjected her to physical assault and abusive behaviour.”Inside the protest site, I walk over to where a number of students and even a teacher have been fasting for the last 11 days, demanding Union education minister Dharmendra Pradhan’s resignation. I notice an elderly lady in a light coloured sari sitting on the ground speaking with the fasting protestors. She is sharing a bit of contemporary Indian protest history with them.Subhashini Ali from the Communist Party of India (Marxist) (CPI(M)) at the protest site in Jantar Mantar in New Delhi. Photo: Rohit Kumar.I ask her if she is a teacher. She introduces herself as Subhashini Ali from the Communist Party of India (Marxist) (CPI(M)).I feel a bit silly and apologise for not having recognised her. She waves my apology aside and we start chatting about the hard-heartedness of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) government and its absolute refusal to even acknowledge its wrong doings, much less its willingness to sack Pradhan. She says: “But this is what it takes for these young people to see what they are up against and to remove all illusions from their eyes about those in power.” Soon, it is time for her to leave and she puts an affectionate arm around the shoulder of one of the young protestors fasting, telling her to stay strong. It is moving and heartwarming moment to see someone so senior sitting on the footpath, encouraging a much younger person to keep democracy alive.A queue has formed near the food distribution counter and many of the people present line up for lunch which is being served out by volunteers.As I get ready to leave, I meet Novita Singh, a filmmaker who is making a documentary about the farmers’ protest at Delhi’s borders in 2020–21. She spent a year with the protesters at Delhi’s borders and also travelled extensively across Punjab, documenting the many dimensions of the protest. After the andolan ended, she followed the farmers back to their villages to explore how the movement had reshaped their lives and the politics of the state.I ask her what she feels about this protest. Her reply echoes what others who also have long experience with democratic protests have said:“For this protest to have a lasting impact, it has to grow beyond its current base and reach across caste, class and generations. The fact that it began as a Gen Z movement is one of its strengths, but it cannot remain only that. It needs to bring others along.“The farmers’ movement of 2020–21 succeeded because it patiently built a broad coalition of farmers, workers, civil society groups and pro-democracy voices. It reached into virtually every village in Punjab and created a sense of shared purpose that extended far beyond the protest sites themselves.“Movements also need to convince those in power that they are prepared for the long haul. Endurance is as important as numbers. A protest needs to demonstrate very clearly that it is willing to persist, come hell or high water.”Protestors bring extra tarpaulins at the protest site in Jantar Mantar, New Delhi. Photo: Rohit Kumar.Now, the police have finally allowed the tarpaulins in.Rohit Kumar is an educator and can be reached at letsempathize@gmail.com.