With smartphones all around us, it is impossible not to keep track of what's happening. We are back to square one! No, I am not writing about the road safety protest held by schoolchildren a few years back. Nor am I indicating the protest carried out by RMG workers held every other month for their outstanding wages.

If you are smart, you will see that we are in the midst of a historic moment where history is repeating itself. It's a time when university students are ready to sacrifice their lives for their birthrights. The irony is that without a date, you could be reading about the Language Movement or the current nationwide Quota Reform protests, watching them unfold from the comfort of your living room.

Before we delve deeper, it's essential to understand the essence of "protest." If we are being precise, the word, derived from Latin, refers to a statement or action expressing disapproval or objection. In simpler terms, when you disagree with a belief or action, your dissent, whether expressed physically or verbally, can effect change through protest.

Back in 1952, students bravely stood up, guided by this logic and belief. On the other hand, the current generation of university students follow pursuits just like their predecessors. However, they have forgotten that they are out of their depth. After all, the martyred students stood against the armed forces for the right to speak in their mother tongue.

On the other end of the spectrum, the "entitled and insolent" students of the current generation had the gall to demand a "level field" for all in education, career, and life; for that, they are facing justice by the justice association. It's totally different. On a separate note, you, too, can be an assistant to the association! It's like an internship; you get paid with a packet of biriyani or tehari!

Many got straightened out permanently. Like Abu Sayed with open arms, he was promised a hug after the mitigation. Whatever happened afterwards should not be your concern because at the end of the day, he is a private citizen with privacy rights, dead or alive. Whatever you might have heard or seen about students getting disciplined in the dead of the night is baseless because the media has not seen or heard such hearsay.

Speaking of news, you would be grinning ear to ear to know that there has been a "Bumper Folon" (harvest) of lentils, "mugh daal" to be specific and lotkon! However, with a heavy heart, it has also been reported that batabi lebu have not yield enough like before. Sad reacts only fam.

Now, let's talk about the digital protests. AI-generated images and texts with provocative contexts are nothing but fake news. If anything, we should learn how to screen them correctly from "the intellectual," torch-bearers of truth and youth ambassadors/influencers; after all, they all possess the fabled blue tick mark on their social handles.

Whatever they say MUST already be verified. In this case, they are mum, which inadvertently means nothing is happening nationwide. NOTHING! Except for promoting their next ambiguous campaigns, where they stand with a piece of white paper with scribbles written on it.

But fret not, there are few brave souls who have put up one obligatory PR sanctioned status which is blander than baby foods. Because brand deals > insolent students getting "straightened" out permanently. It's terrible for their TG, after all.

Every kingdom has jesters and clowns, and so do we. The only difference is they do not pose or act out their designated roles. Instead, they would rather be just pufferfishes in the ocean of blood. If you are reading this, it does not matter where you are from, do your part. The right part! The remaining last of the freedom fighters want to reform the very system that was created for them. Does that make them Rajakars?