India, July 22 -- Wielding paintbrushes as they turned everyday images and objects into biting satire, the protesting students at the Jantar Mantar have channelled their creativity into their agitation against alleged paper leaks, transforming the venue into an open-air gallery where art has become a language of dissent.

In the backdrop of fervent speeches and sloganeering, hand-drawn illustrations, quirky costumes, poetic placards, caricatures, cartoons and even memes lie strewn around the venue as a generation turns to creativity to amplify its demands.

One of the most striking displays was a sanitary napkin carrying the handwritten message, "...even this pad doesn't leak," in a satirical reference to the alleged examination paper lea...