India, June 9 -- We arrived expecting a Gen-Z protest, only to find people of ages 18 to 50 and beyond. As the day unfolded under Delhi's unforgiving sun, it became clear that the story of the Cockroach Janta Party (CJP) was not really about memes about "cockroaches" alone. It was about people and the frustration they had carried with them to Jantar Mantar in the heart of Delhi.

When we first stepped out of our vehicle at Parliament Street Police Station at 8 am on Saturday, the initial venue for the gathering, the heavy police deployment and the sparse group of supporters who had just started arriving caught us off guard. The turnout was not what you'd usually expect from a protest born of such a viral online page.

Then came the chants...