God in Jantar Mantar

It was the first time i gave some thought to the word Gen z!It was a term which had been in vogue for few decades but never once it caught my attention like the recent times.I dont know what gen i belong to but this much i can say i dont belong to the Gen z who are fearless in speaking the truth to the power.They are willing to take the battle to the streets in support of bringing accountability to the public service provided by the politicians of this country .Not in recent times i have witnessed such an uprising which originated from a casual mockery of the youth of this nation by the highest office of the judiciary which gained traction among the students movements and disgruntled youth and students of India.

Of course the political angle of these protests cant be ignored when political parties joined the bandwagon late albeit being a primarily student led movement.They not only spoke truth and accountability to the power they also succeeded in achieveing it.It was truly a David and Goliath moment in Indian political landscape.It was heartwarming to watch such a dynamic agitation take place and the maturity, conviction and boldness of this gen Z!

The venue which the Gen Z chose to take on the might of their day was Jantar Mantar.Originally built as an observatory in the 18 th century to calculate the movement of the sun and stars the Delhi government has designated this site of public gathering and protests probably due to its close proximity the parliament.

It became a place where people come together to speak the truth to the powers .Its the turf in which idealogical and political wars were made against the powers that be .

In Indian political discourse Jantar Mantar became synonymous with the platform for various movements and protests against the powers of their day .Some of the notable movements include the Anna Hazare movement, Farmers movement in 2021 and protests against the citizenship amedments act etc.

What is noteworthy is that in a world of democracy a platform is needed to express dissent and displeasure and to stir peoples conscience for a national good ,moving people out of their comfort zones.Both the protesters and the antagonists are pushed to the brink at the end of the day to look into their beliefs and policies.

The bible has few places which resemble Jantar Mantar where few people chose to stand against the injustices of their day and speak the truth to the powers finding their own platform.They did it in their own way .Their own Jantar Mantar was waiting for their reckoning!

Some of the examples include 

David  in the battlefield

Valley of Elah - A place where Saul camped with his armies against the mighty philistines .A place where Goliath stood and challenged the power and convictions of Israel.A place David chose to take the battle against the might and powerful!He was comfortable fighting lions in his grazefield which in itself is a great battle.Nevertheless that victory would have been just his personal milestone .Now David chose to fight a battle to proclaim the name of the lord and fight a battle in a unfamiliar place with an unfamiliar enemy.However the cause is the same ,the conviction regarding his god is the same !The name of his god is at stake and he was willing to take charge of the situation.

Daniel before the king

Babylon - Four youngmen who were just slaves challenged the assumptions of their king and culture .There were willing to  risk their lives for their belief that their god is able to back up their convictions  and they dont need anybodys approval or authority to rescue them."Please test us for ten days " was their defiant plea against the force of their culture and authority.They were very sure that they dont need the mercy of the kings food to enhance their skills given from above !It was in that very place god rewarded them"..with knowledge and understanding of all kinds of literature and learning".The vegetables won over the wine!!

Paul before Herod

Caesarea - The powers of that day wanted to build a strong case of dissent and blasphemy when Paul was held as a prisoner in Caesarea.When the gang from Jerusalem and Festus wanted to take him back to Jerusalem for a trial Paul refused and made his counter point.

"....This is where (Caesarea not Jerusalem) i should be judged......I want Caesar to hear my case."Paul chose a rightful place where he would defend his actions.In his own words he was not afraid to be punished ( I dont want to be saved from death).Nevertheless he wanted to make his case before the authorities.He chose his place of defense and he did not give into the vagaries of his captors.Oh how i wish i have the rightful boldness of this apostle.It was not an act of arrogant pride but divine courage.

Jesus before Pilate

Pilates Palace -

The sonship and kingship was challenged by the authorites and Pilate as Jesus was put on trial.Jesus chose silence as his defense in Pilates palace against the lies that piled up against him.There were no eloquent exposition of old testament nor the "things of his father" which he is familiar with nor the call to the angels who might have given him the necessary reprieve from his captors.But Silence!!"But he still made no reply and Pilate was amazed".Sometimes thoughful silence is the best form of defense.

Stephen before being stoned

Out of the city - Some of our protests spell our earthly doom.Being dragged to places we lose our strength and life itself but not our resolve and character.Some of our fights end in victory.In some we lose everything we have .Stephen was dragged out of the city to be stoned .Nevertheless his spirit remained unbroken.When our foundations are strong within there is no storm which cannot be weathered!No place which can defeat our spirit.

Time and again people chose their battle grounds to fight against the powers which organise themselves to quench the spirit and burn their soul.We need to chose our own places of Jantar Mantar like our Gen z ,Apostle Paul and others to stand firm and face the heat of the day.One picture of a young lady standing in front of an armored van filled with the protesters in a defiant posture captured the mood of this generation!

May we all find our own Jantar Mantar to see god within the chaos and battle before us !