Gen Z’s kanwariyas: barefoot and bereft
On Haridwar’s holy but littered ghats, people in their 20s– almost all men– arrived in millions. Some had spent a month’s wage to get there; almost all could not afford a room for the night. Those who spoke to Ishita Mishra leaned heavily towards the BJP and believed their parents knew best. Less than a month after the youth protest at Delhi’s Jantar Mantar, at this Hindu religious gathering, where more than half the crowd were Gen Z-ers, the central idea was to conform, to abide by tradition and uphold the system
· 8/13/2026, 11:50:46 PM· 2 min read
On Haridwar’s holy but littered ghats, people in their 20s– almost all men– arrived in millions. Some had spent a month’s wage to get there; almost all could not afford a room for the night. Those who spoke to Ishita Mishra leaned heavily towards the BJP and believed their parents knew best. Less than a month after the youth protest at Delhi’s Jantar Mantar, at this Hindu religious gathering, where more than half the crowd were Gen Z-ers, the central idea was to conform, to abide by tradition and uphold the system
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