India, July 24 -- Every day at Jantar Mantar, hundreds of students gather to press for their demands. But behind the slogans and speeches is another story - one of volunteers and ordinary citizens who have stepped away from their daily lives to keep the protest running. For Saqib, who works at a hospital, volunteering has become a full-time commitment. He said he has been involved since the early days of the protest and has been helping manage food distribution and crowd movement since the camp was established on June 20. According to him, nearly 100-200 volunteers coordinate arrangements, while many more join informally to distribute food, manage queues and assist protesters. "Anyone who wants to serve is welcome," he said, adding that students themselves cooperate with the system, allowing thousands to move through the camp each day in an orderly manner.

The protest has also prompted people to make personal sacrifices. Amarjeet, who volunteers by distributing hand fans to protesters, recently secured an appointment in the Ministry of Defence through the SSC Combined Graduate Level examination. He said he chose to delay reporting for duty after receiving his joining letter and has instead spent the past week volunteering at the protest site. For Piyush, an M.A. History student living nearby, the decision to volunteer came naturally. Seeing a shortage of helping hands, he began assisting with food distribution and other arrangements. He said students had stepped in voluntarily, without any formal instructions. "People are contributing on their own because they believe this concerns all of us," he said, adding that he has been missing classes to support fellow students. The volunteer-driven nature of the protest has also been noticed by participants. Fasthi, a theatre artist and former student from Kerala who travelled to Delhi to join the agitation, said the camp functions through collective responsibility. "If someone sees work that needs to be done, they simply step in," she said, adding that she felt safe within the protest site and credited students for maintaining the arrangements. However, she alleged that police action during a recent march had left many participants feeling unsafe outside the venue.

Published by HT Digital Content Services with permission from Millennium Post.