There was a time when a trip to Jantar Mantar came with a familiar script. A group of earnest protesters would gather under the shade of the trees, unfurl hand-painted banners, and launch into speeches against the evils of globalisation. Coca-Cola and Pepsi were reliable villains.

So were Enron, the WTO, and, depending on the season, any multinational corporation that happened to be investing in India. Pamphlets flew around more freely than bottled soft drinks. Television cameras would eventually arrive and the evening news would carry a 20-second clip of the day’s outrage.

Fast forward three decades and Jantar Mantar still protests. Only the props have changed.

The banner is now designed less for those standing in front of it and more for the smartphone camera behind it. The speech is edited into a 30-second Reel. The slogan doubles up as a meme. The volunteer carrying water is accompanied by another carrying a power bank. The success of the protest is no longer measured merely by the size of the gathering but........

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