Signing you in

Actor Shekhar Suman has voiced support for education reform activist Sonam Wangchuk, who had been on an indefinite hunger strike at Delhi’s Jantar Mantar before being taken to Safdarjung Hospital by Delhi Police on Saturday morning after his health reportedly deteriorated. Suman addressed Wangchuk’s protest during the latest episode of Shekhar Tonite, which aired hours before the police action. Wangchuk has been on an indefinite hunger strike for over 20 days, demanding the resignation of Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan and raising allegations of irregularities in the education system and competitive examinations.

Suman, who recently returned with Shekhar Tonite, a modern-day revival of his iconic Movers & Shakers, has once again made political satire a central part of his show. Along with celebrity interviews and current affairs, one of the programme’s biggest talking points has been its opening monologue, where Suman comments on issues dominating the national conversation. In the latest episode, he addressed Wangchuk’s hunger strike and criticised the government’s silence.

He said, “Social Activist Sonam Wanghcuk ji Kai dino se Jantar Mantar par Shiksha Mantri Dharmendra Pradhan ke istife ke liye anshan par baithe hain. Main hairaan hoon yeh dekh ke ki koi hairaan kyun nahin? Ek insaan desh aur samaaj ki behteri ke liye anshan par baitha hai, vidyarthiyon ke bhavishya ke liye anshan par baitha hai, shiksha ke charmaraate dhaanche ko sambhaalne ke liye anshan par baitha hai, aur vyavastha chain se leti hui hai. Woh vyavastha jo na sirf goongi, behri aur samvedanheen hai, balki tang dil, sang dil aur bedil hai. Thake hue urjaheen shareer mein bhale hi shakti na ho, lekin desh ke laakhon yuvaon ki woh taakat hai. Aur gaur se dekha jaaye, to hum sab zinda laashon mein woh ek akela jeevit hai. Main hairaan hoon yeh dekh ke ki koi hairaan kyun nahin?”

(For several days now, social activist Sonam Wangchuk has been on a hunger strike at Jantar Mantar, seeking the resignation of Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan. I am astonished to see that no one else seems astonished. A person is sitting on a hunger strike for the betterment of the country and society, for the future of students, and to save the crumbling structure of our education system, while the establishment lies at ease. An establishment that is not only mute, deaf, and devoid of empathy, but also narrow-hearted, stone-hearted, and heartless. His exhausted, energy-depleted body may no longer have strength, but he carries the strength of millions of young people in this country. And if you look closely, among all of us living corpses, he is the one truly alive. I am astonished to see that no one else seems astonished.)

This is not the first time Suman has spoken about Wangchuk’s protest. Around two weeks ago, when the hunger strike had just begun, he used satire to comment on the issue and questioned the government’s response.

He had said, “Haali hi mein Sonam Wanghcuk saab sarkar ke khilaaf bhookh hartaal par baith gaye, jismein unhone Dharmendra Pradhan ke istife ki maang uthai hai. Main sabse pehle un logon se sawaal karna chahta hoon jo bolte the ki loktantra khatre mein hai. Kahaan hai khatre mein? Aapko sarkar Twitter par trend karne de rahi hai, bhookh hartaal par baithne de rahi hai, aandolan karne de rahi hai, jail jaane de rahi hai, aur kya chahiye? Bachche ki jaan loge kya? Itni saari suvidhayein milne ke baad bhi log chahte hain ki sarkar ab unki baat bhi sune? Loktantra ka matlab sunna hi to hota hai, maanna kab se ho gaya? Wanghcuk ji bhi bade ajeeb hain. Itni si baat par istifa maang rahe hain. Aisa kya ho gaya? Kuch lakh bachchon ka bhavishya hi to daav par laga. Kisi ne coaching ke liye ghar hi to girvi rakh diya, kisi ke maata-pita ne zevar hi to bech diye, kisi ne poora ek saal band kamre mein hi to guzaara, aur kuch bees-ikkees bachchon ne aatmahatya hi to kar li. Bas, ab itni si baat par agar mantri istifa dene lage, to phir har saal naya mantri shapath leta dikhega. Uska aadha samay shapath lene mein jaayega, aur aadha istifa dene mein. To vikas kahaan se aayega, bataiye? Kuch bhi mat poochhiye. Just shut up.”

Also Read | The Odyssey Box Office Collection Worldwide Day 1: Nolan’s epic earns Rs 17.4 cr in India, $17.6 mn in previews

(Sonam Wangchuk has gone on a hunger strike against the government, demanding the resignation of Dharmendra Pradhan. First of all, I want to ask those people who used to say that democracy is under threat: where exactly is it under threat? The government is allowing you to trend on Twitter, to go on a hunger strike, to protest, even to go to jail—what more do you want? Do you want the child’s life as well? Even after being given all these freedoms, people still expect the government to actually listen to them? Democracy only means listening; since when did it mean agreeing? Wangchuk ji is also quite strange. He’s demanding a resignation over such a small matter. What really happened? Only the future of a few lakh students is at stake. Someone merely mortgaged their house for coaching, someone’s parents merely sold their jewellery, someone merely spent an entire year confined to a room, and only about twenty or twenty-one students died by suicide. If ministers start resigning over such minor issues, then every year we’ll just see a new minister taking the oath. Half of their time will go into taking the oath, and the other half into resigning. So then, where will development come from? Don’t ask anything. Just shut up.)

The developments at Jantar Mantar also prompted a fresh protest from Cockroach Janata Party founder Abhijit Dipke. Hours after Wangchuk was shifted to Safdarjung Hospital, Dipke announced that he was beginning an indefinite hunger strike in solidarity with the activist.

“I am starting an indefinite hunger strike beginning right now,” Dipke wrote in a post on X.

Suman’s remarks come at a time when Wangchuk’s protest has drawn support from several members of the film industry, including actors Hrithik Roshan and Sonakshi Sinha.

“This sounds true. I learnt about the trauma students go through when I played a teacher in one of my movies,” Hrithik wrote on social media on Friday night while sharing a video of Wangchuk that had originally been posted by actor Lisa Ray.

In the video, Wangchuk questioned the public’s silence over alleged examination paper leaks and claimed that more than 20 students had died by suicide. He said students spend years preparing for competitive examinations in the hope of becoming doctors and engineers.

Earlier, actor Sonakshi Sinha also voiced her support, saying she could no longer remain silent while many others had chosen not to speak up. “I’ve never made a public statement like this before, but I can’t stay silent any longer. We all know Sonam Wangchuk. We know what he has done for the country, his achievements, and the many honours he has received. For the past 18 days, he has been on a hunger strike without food. And why? Because he is fighting for the future of children, a future he believes is being pushed towards ruin,” she said.

Click here to follow Screen Digital on YouTube and stay updated with the latest from the world of cinema.