Meme placards, a 3-year-old protester and Gen Z energy mark CJP victory gathering in Mumbai | Mumbai News

His father said the child was too young to understand the issue but wanted him to grow up with a sense of accountability. “As a father whose child is just entering the education system, I don’t see any reason not to participate in a movement that seeks educational reforms,” said More, a Worli resident.

Three-and-a-half-year-old Sharvil More attended the gathering with his father, Rajesh More. (Express Photo)

Many participants described the movement as a rare example of youth mobilisation cutting across political affiliations. Pooja Kumar, a research scholar in Mumbai, said she had only read about student-led movements in history books. “The CJP has shown how young people can come together and bring about change,” she said.

Actor Arjun Mathur, who attended the rally, credited Gen Z’s humour-led campaign for its success. “We are a jaded generation that tried to bring about change but couldn’t. This generation used humour and memes to make its point. The authorities simply didn’t know how to respond to it,” he said.

Actor Arjun Mathur, who attended the rally, credited Gen Z’s humour-led campaign for its success. (Express Photo)

Young participants carried placards mocking the government and the outgoing education minister while celebrating the campaign. One referenced a popular Rajinikanth dialogue with the line, “Kyu, hila dala na?” Another featured a photograph of Dharmendra Pradhan with the hashtag #OpenToWork. A third read, “Clocked them so hard,” referring to the internet slang for exposing someone.

For many students, memes had become the movement’s language. “This is how our generation communicates. It helped the movement resonate with young people across the country, who organised similar protests wherever they could,” said Asmee, a Class 10 student from south Mumbai who attended with friends carrying meme-themed placards.

Pooja Kumar, a research scholar in Mumbai, said she had only read about student-led movements in history books. (Express Photo)

A group of college students from Kurla echoed the sentiment, saying humour had helped them draw attention to serious issues that might otherwise have been ignored.

The gathering drew students, parents, professionals and supporters of Shiv Sena (UBT) and MNS. Participants waved the Tricolour, sang along to Bollywood songs played over loudspeakers and raised slogans throughout the event.

The crowd dispersed peacefully after the rally. Even as slogans continued to echo through the area, several Gen Z volunteers stayed back to collect litter and clean the venue before leaving.