Yuva chal pade tham kar nav yug nai mashal, nav umang tarang sang, ho sukhad naya saal

This is not just wishful thinking. Be it the horrific murder of young Monica Kirnapure, the gruesome kidnapping and killing of toddler Kush Kataria, the anti-corruption protests called by Anna Hazare or the recent rape and murder of Nirbhaya, it was the youth of the city in the forefront of protests, asking for justice and demanding a change. These were spontaneous eruption of ire, embers of which have been glowering within. It was about frustration on seeing the powers that be stymieing the aam adami.

In words of Lenin, social revolutions are, "Festivals of the oppressed who act as creators of new social order". That's exactly what these spirited youth want to be. "Our icons are not political leaders but people like Arvind Kejriwal and Chetan Bhagat. They have motivated us and now don't need leaders to carry out these protests," says Prabhat Agarwal, a 21-year-old commerce student.

"Kya kare? Who will listen to us? One form of protest is hurling slippers at politicians. The other is taking out candle marches," says Ishan Sarda, a first year science student. "Through such actions we want to show the government that enough is enough. We want safety and good governance which they will have to provide," feels Krutal Welekar, a B Sc part II student.

'I'm an Indian and very angry at the moment," says Neha Urade, an engineering student. "This is the only way to make the government aware of our anger and our thoughts and hope that some change will come through."

The sense of despair is profound. "How else should we demand laws and rules for our betterment from these politicians whom we have elected," asks Komal Tiwari, a CA student. The elected representatives are only serving their interest, she feels. The strong sentiments are against corruption and the high-handed attitude of the government.

"In spite of such brutal crimes, our elected representatives give ridiculous statements like girls should wear proper clothes. It's their duty to provide proper safety and governance," says Suvarna Deshmukh, a computer science student who participated in these protests.

"Rapes have been happening even in Nagpur but the manner in which people have reacted this time shows that there is an awakening taking place," feels Jyoti Kanhare, a young teacher. "Enough is enough. We can't be taken for granted any longer," she says.

The tolerance levels have been tested too far, agrees law student Nidhi Kamdar. "Corruption, scams, lack of safety and the indifference of the government has led to anger boiling over," she says. "The message is loud and clear. It's time to amend laws and reform governance."

Another effort through these marches is to unite the people for a social cause. "We want every person living in this city to come out and protest. This will help us to create a pressure group," says Surabhi Puradbhat a final year science student and adds, "After all everybody has a right to feel safe and live with dignity."

The feeling that the tempo has to be kept up is also what fuels these protests. "Is it so wrong to ask for a corruption free society where people live by the law? But see how the government killed the movement started by Anna Hazare and Baba Ramdev," says Atul Pimpalkar, an engineering student who sat on protests during the Anna agitation.

The protests are also a way to create awareness in the minds of an indifferent public. "In the Kush Kataria case, our sole aim behind coming out on the streets was to tell people that there is no point in discussing it at home. Come out to share the pain of the victim's family and to give evidence if required," says Yash Panchmatia, a city businessman who organized these marches.

"In the Monica Kirnapure murder case, awareness was created in colleges to keep the issue alive and to get justice for her," says self employed city youth Nilesh Nagolkar. "Had it not been for our constant pressure this case too would have got hushed up under political pressure," he says.

"The idea is also to educate and inform the youth," says Gulshan Thakre, a 23-year-old student. "Since I began taking part in these events I am more interested in national and political issues," he says. "We will protest, gherao, sit on agitations to bring about good governance. After all this is our nation and we have a part to play in building its character," he says.

Most of those who join these protests belong to middle and upper middle class. "There is anguish and restlessness in them. They are also brimming with confidence and feel that they are capable of bringing about a change," says B K Swain, HoD of Sociology, Nagpur University, who otherwise terms these protests as an outcome of mob psychology.

"Their views on corruption are correct as it is very visible. But to bring about social changes one needs to channelize grievances through a forum. They need to study the issue in-depth to make these agitations sustainable," he suggests.

"There have been negative and positive fallout of this," opines city based Hindi poet Madhup Pandey. "That the youth poured out on streets without any leader or leadership is a positive sign. That they connected through Facebook and Internet confines the protests to a particular strata," he feels. "Reacting to local issues will bring the lower class on to the streets and make such uprisings more broad based and result oriented," he says.