The late-evening rush at 'The Symphony' was in full swing. Dim, amber pendant lights swayed slightly under the blast of the overhead AC, throwing soft shadows across a table littered with empty pint glasses, a half-eaten plate of nachos, and a stray basket of cold fries.
"I am a cockroach, akela hoon, bekaar hoon! Chahun ek system jo meri sunne ko taiyyar ho!"
Ajay bustled past a busy waiter, loudly humming the bombastic background score from Akshaye Khanna’s debut—the forgotten 1997 flick 'Himalayputra'—as he pulled out a chair.
"Oh! So the cockroach bug bit you too, did it?" Veeru asked, adjusting his glasses with the stern look of a college professor. "R-june was just asking about you, and you walk in proclaiming you're a cockroach."
"Looks like the cockroach wave has hit you hard, even though you’re a millennial and not Gen Z," Arjun added with a grin, leaning back into the faux-leather booth.
"It’s not about being a millennial or Gen Z, R-june," Ajay replied, sliding into the booth and waving at the bartender. "It’s about collective anger against the system. Every generation has its own way of venting frustration. In the 70s, it was cinema's Angry Young Man phenomenon; in the late 2000s, it was the anti-corruption movement; and now, it’s this Cockroach Janata Party thing."
"Hmmm." Veeru popped a cold French fry into his mouth, chewing thoughtfully. "Looks like that Oggy and the Cockroaches cartoon that entertained them as kids has become their digital identity."
"You can’t just write off the movement like that, macha," Arjun said seriously, gesturing to a passing waiter to order another round. "A few years back, we were just as disappointed with the system when the recession hit, and we lost our jobs."
"Exactly!" Ajay chimed in, leaning over the table. "Now the same thing is happening to Gen Z, and nobody is ready to listen to them. These aren't trivial issues; they’re serious, but the government keeps downplaying them."
Veeru swirled the remaining mocktails in his glass. "You don’t have to exaggerate. Remember during our time? The CAT exam paper was leaked, and we all had to reappear for the test. It happens."
"But that was a one-off case back then," Arjun countered, his tone sharpening over the ambient chatter of the restaurant. "Now, papers leak almost every single year, while the mainstream media spends all its airtime discussing religion or elections."
Veeru sighed, shifting his gaze from Ajay to Arjun. "Look, I can understand your frustration, Arjun. You’re in academia, surrounded by students day in and day out. But why is Ajay so annoyed with the system?"
"Because you're a VP in your corporate bubble now, Veeru," Ajay said bluntly. "You’ll never understand the pain of unemployed youth who are purposefully kept distracted by the system through endless reels."
"But you are also a Senior Manager..."
Before Veeru could finish his sentence, Arjun cut in. "Guys, Chill! Veeru, do you remember when we watched Rang De Basanti in college? Do you remember how charged up you were, shouting that the system needs to change?"
Veeru looked down at the table, a faint, nostalgic smile breaking through his serious demeanour. "Yeah... but that was almost twenty years ago."
"Right! So, twenty years ago, you were furious because you were in your twenties. Similarly, the youngsters who are in their twenties today are venting their frustration digitally."
"And I am furious because I am still in my twenties," Ajay quipped, lifting his freshly poured drink with a grin.
The heavy tension at the table instantly broke into loud laughter.
"Cheers, guys," Arjun declared, clinking his glass against theirs. "Next month, we will meet again for my birthday celebration. In June."
"That’s right, R-June," Ajay chuckled, playing on the nickname.
Veeru smiled sarcastically, taking a final sip. "In our next meeting, let's see if this 'Cockroach phenomenon' actually survives the month."
"Till then... Cockroach gang Jindabad!" Arjun bellowed, perfectly mimicking the nasal, chaotic screech of the cartoon roaches, drawing curious stares from the neighbouring tables as the three friends burst into laughter.
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