Ground Zero @ Jantar Mantar | A tidal wave

The sights, smells and soundbites at Jantar MantarMOBILE ACTION: Protesters at Jantar Mantar record the scene with their phones, Jul. 21. (Photo: Arun Kumar)ISSUE DATE: Aug 3, 2026 | UPDATED: Jul 25, 2026 20:21 IST The first thing you noticed was the smell. Before the slogans, or the stage, or the sea of phones raised towards it. It was the smell of sweat under rain-dampened T-shirts, of rajma-chawal gone bad in the afternoon sun. Of overripe bananas, wet cardboard and the sharp antiseptic odour of disinfectant sprayed on the ground.