Conversation with Bade Saheb: Episode 4
Editor’s Note: The “Conversation with Bade Saheb” series is a work of political fiction. The characters and conversations are imagina,ry. Any resemblance to real persons, officesaregovernments or events is purely coincidental. The Satiree of the series is to explore ideas about governance, democracy and public life through satire and dialogue.
In Episode 4 of Conversation wit Bade Saheb, Subrat Ratho turns from satire to reflection as Bade Saheb admits he does not have all the answers. A thoughtful conversation about Gen Z, democratic participation and why listening may matter more than lecturing.
I found Bade Saheb staring out of the club verandah, his tea untouched.
“Everything alright, Bade Saheb?” I asked.
“I have just spent two hours reading what Gen Z is saying online.”
“And?”
“They appear to have opinions.”
“That surprises you?”
“No. The worrying part is that they don’t seem interested in ours.”
I pulled up a chair.
“Bade Saheb, why are so many young people on the streets? Across cities, across universities… they’re protesting as if something fundamental has snapped.”
He sighed.
“Our generation keeps asking what they are protesting against.”
“And?”
“Perhaps we should first ask what they have stopped hoping for.”
I was taken aback. This was not the usual Bade Saheb.
“So are we failing to understand them?”
“Oh, certainly.”
“Why?”
“Because every generation assumes that history culminated with itself.”
He stirred his tea absent-mindedly.
“We think experience is a qualification. They think it is often just accumulated bias.”
“That’s a bit harsh.”
“So is youth.”
I waited.
“We spent our lives climbing institutions,” he continued. “They are questioning whether the institutions are worth climbing at all.”
“Isn’t that reckless?”
“Perhaps.”
“And?”
“So was every generation that later appeared in school textbooks.”
I looked at him carefully.
“Bade Saheb… are we becoming the establishment we once mocked?”
He smiled faintly.
“My boy, every revolutionary eventually discovers lumbar spondylitis.”
“But why do conversations between us and them end so badly?”
“Because we answer questions they never asked.”
“And they?”
“They reject answers before hearing them.”
“So who is right?”
He looked away.
“That is the wrong question.”
“What is the right one?”
“How did we become two countries living in the same country?”
There was a long silence.
Finally, I asked, “What advice would you give our generation?”
For the first time since I had known him, Bade Saheb hesitated.
“I don’t know.”
“You don’t?”
“No.”
Another pause.
“Perhaps,” he said quietly, “we should spend less time explaining India to Gen Z…
“…and more time asking them what India looks like from where they are standing.”
As we got up to leave, Bade Saheb smiled wistfully.
“Perhaps this is the first generation that does not need our wisdom as much as it needs us to listen.”
