Very brave of you: Chetan Bhagat praises students for leading digital revolution

In an exclusive conversation with India Today's Rajdeep Sardesai, best-selling author Chetan Bhagat shared his perspective on the ongoing student digital revolt and protests. Bhagat noted that youth anger over paper leaks and education issues had been brewing for a long time, including during the 2024 Lok Sabha elections, but had not been acknowledged as a main factor behind electoral shifts.

He highlighted that the widespread nature of the current agitation took many by surprise because young people left their phones to take to the streets. According to Bhagat, action by Delhi Police against young protesters created viral content that triggered a massive emotional response across social media platforms like Instagram.

Comparing the current movement to the 2011 Anna Hazare agitation, he observed that cheap, fast internet allows videos to spread rapidly within hours, requiring governments to act fast and constructively rather than offering tokenism. Praising the youth, Bhagat stated, "it's very brave of you that you guys are doing this, that you guys make us all proud".