Beyond Politics : Volunteers, delivery riders and strangers keep Jantar Mantar protest alive
Beyond the slogans, speeches and political debates at Delhi’s Jantar Mantar, another story has quietly unfolded — one of compassion, solidarity and strangers coming together to care for protesting students. As the protest continues, food, medicines and daily essentials have been arriving from across the country. Through online delivery platforms, homemade meals and volunteer efforts, ordinary citizens are ensuring that those camping at the protest site are looked after.
Supporters have been sending samosas, pizzas, burgers, thalis, medicines and other essentials through online food delivery platforms. Volunteers stationed near the barricades collect the orders and distribute them among the protesters.
According to volunteers managing one of the collection points, food deliveries had been arriving for more than a week, but the number increased significantly after July 20. Many of the orders, they said, were placed by people living outside Delhi who wanted to contribute despite being unable to join the protest in person.
Delivery executive who are delivering food at the protest site has been claiming that they had made multiple trips to the protest site in a single day, delivering everything from snacks to full meals.
On Wednesday, a group of young supporters purchased the entire stock of a golgappa vendor and requested him to serve the protesters near the demonstration site. The gesture, they said, was intended to lift the spirits of students who had spent days at the protest venue.
Away from the spotlight, volunteers have transformed parts of the protest site into makeshift support centres where food, drinking water and medicines including sanitary pads are distributed throughout the day.
People from different backgrounds have been working together since the beginning of the protest, describing their efforts as an act of service for students. “These students are our children. We support their demands and want accountability,” one volunteer said.
Another volunteer described distributing food and medicines as a form of seva, adding that people from across India had contributed in whatever way they could.
However, the support has not been limited to online deliveries. Several well-wishers have arrived carrying homemade meals, saying they were moved by the events surrounding the protest and wanted to help in whatever way possible.
Others have volunteered to keep the protest site clean by collecting plastic bottles, food wrappers and other waste, urging everyone to preserve the peaceful nature of the demonstration. “We appeal to everyone to maintain the peaceful character of this protest. That is its greatest strength,” one student volunteer said.
While the protest continues to draw political attention, the steady stream of food, medicines and volunteer support has highlighted another dimension of the movement.
For many at Jantar Mantar, the protest site has also become a place where strangers share meals, volunteers serve without expectation, and small acts of kindness remind students that they are not alone.
Written by – Mohammad Javed