Photo: Teen Vogue

The common stereotype of Indians portrayed online is that we’re bad drivers, lack civic sense and basic hygiene (we’ve all seen those TikToks about street food vendors). While all of this may be true to some extent, what I’ve always heard people say is that Indians complain too much. That we are all bark, no bite and are always fed up with the government or people around us. While this is also true to some extent, I believe that Indians aren’t angry enough. Not anymore. We are just complacent now.

Since coming to DKU, I have been a bit out of the loop with Indian politics, internal affairs and anything else that could be classified as breaking news. So this year, I made more of an effort to keep up with my country’s news and policies, and I have to say that I am beyond disgusted at the state of internal and external affairs.

India is currently going through what people online have coined as a rape epidemic. Every single day since the start of 2026, every major news agency has released an article covering a brutal sexual assault and murder case from several different locations in the country. The situation has progressively gotten worse, such that people are claiming they have become desensitised to bad news and accepting that this is how the country will always be. Furthermore, caste-based discrimination and violence have also increased enormously, creating more tensions amongst religious and other marginalised groups. So much so that people no longer recognise the country they grew up in. The delusion of a united India has begun to wear off on all of us and has forced Gen Z to ask: Was it all a facade, or have things rapidly changed in the last decade?

I think both of these things can be true. As a kid, you are hidden from the harsh realities of the world, and you choose to believe that everyone is good and that no one could ever do any harm to anyone. However, I also think there did exist brotherhood and camaraderie amongst people that seems to no longer exist.

South Indians are angry at the North, and vice versa; tensions with bordering countries are increasingly exacerbating prejudice and xenophobia and worst of all, everyone is silent about it. Hell, the current government has been accused of stealing votes, declaring our electoral system null and void and going against democracy, the very thing our country used to show pride in–and there was no major uproar amongst the people. At least not that I saw many people complain about it online, only about how their favourite artist wouldn’t tour in India that summer. It makes me wonder why people aren’t in the streets, why no one is protesting and demanding justice. When Nepali citizens were dissatisfied with their government, they burnt the parliament down. At the same time, I just see more people falling prey to whatever extremist Hindu propaganda they see on social media.

I need Indians to realise who we are, or at least who we should be. We boycotted the British, led a freedom movement and revolution and got them out, created a country with one of the best constitutions lauded by the world, are the most diverse country in the world and are really freaking good at cricket. We refused to be complacent about the repression we faced and fought for everyone around us.

So this is me calling on all Indians to be angrier and speak out about the injustices happening. Bring it up in conversation and acknowledge that things should be different, not just say ‘it will always be like this.’ Refuse rejection, fight against authority and stop letting your fear get in the way. Yes, corruption exists, and this is a terrible world, but we are not making it any better by staying silent. So go ahead and complain, and don’t stop complaining until we force the government to behave differently.