The Hindu Editorial (All is not well) – Jul 23, 2026

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The Hindu Editorial (All is not well) – Jul 23, 2026:

all is not well (phrase) – used to indicate that a situation is not as good, stable, or satisfactory as it appears; things are not right, problems exist, something is wrong, trouble is brewing.
following (preposition) – coming after or as a result of; after, subsequent to, in the aftermath of, as a consequence of.
issue-driven (adjective) – motivated or focused on a specific problem or topic; cause-oriented, goal-directed, purpose-led.
mobilisation (noun) – the action of organizing and encouraging a group of people to take collective action in pursuit of a particular objective; rallying, assembling, gathering.
civil society (noun) – society considered as a community of citizens linked by common interests and collective activity, independent of the government; community groups, non-governmental organizations, public sphere, citizenry.
tend to (verb) – to be likely to behave in a particular way or have a certain characteristic; be inclined to, lean towards, gravitate towards, be prone to.
remain (verb) – to continue to exist or stay in a particular state; stay, continue, persist, endure.
orderly (adjective) – neatly and methodically arranged or well-behaved; peaceful, disciplined, well-organized, law-abiding.
so long as (phrase) – provided that; on the condition that, provided, assuming that, given that.
the government of the day (phrase) – the political party or coalition currently in power and governing a country at a specific time; current administration, ruling government, ruling party, incumbent regime.
signal (verb) – indicate, show, communicate, point to.
willing (adjective) – ready, eager, or prepared to do something; agreeable, ready, inclined, disposed.
listen (verb) – hear, pay attention, take heed, take notice.
engage with (phrasal verb) – to make an effort to understand and deal with someone or something; interact with, deal with, communicate with, tackle.
genuine (adjective) – sincere, authentic, real, honest.
concern (noun) – a matter of interest or importance to someone, often causing anxiety; worry, issue, matter, affair.
demonstrator (noun) – protester, marcher, objector, agitator.
chase (verb) – to pursue in order to catch or drive away; pursue, run after, hunt, follow.
tear-gas (verb) – to use tear gas (a gas that causes severe irritation to the eyes) against a crowd to disperse them; spray with tear gas, disperse with gas, attack with gas, smoke out.
baton-charge (verb) – to attack a crowd by rushing at them with batons (sticks carried by police); lathi-charge, strike with batons, rush with clubs.
within sight of (phrase) – close enough to see or be seen from a specific location; close to, near, in the vicinity of, observable from.
allegedly (adverb) – reportedly, supposedly, purportedly, ostensibly.
strike (verb) – to hit forcibly and deliberately; hit, smack, beat, pound.
pellet gun (noun) – a non-lethal weapon that fires small metal pellets, typically using compressed air or gas, and is often used by security forces for crowd control; air gun, pellet-firing weapon, crowd-control weapon, less-lethal firearm.
switch off (phrasal verb) – turn off, shut down, disconnect, cut off.
Cockroach Janta Party (CJP) (noun) – a youth-led satirical political movement in India that emerged online to organize protests demanding educational reforms and government accountability.
march (noun) – an organized walk by a large group of people to protest against something or to support a cause; protest, rally, demonstration, parade.
escalate (verb) – to increase rapidly in intensity or seriousness; intensify, heighten, increase, amplify.
only after (phrase) – happening not before a specific event or condition has occurred; exclusively following, not until, just when, subsequently to.
resort to (phrasal verb) – to adopt a difficult or extreme course of action in order to resolve a difficult situation; turn to, fall back on, use, employ.
activist (noun) – a person who campaigns to bring about political or social change; campaigner, crusader, champion, advocate.
Sonam Wangchuk (noun) – an Indian engineer, innovator, and education reform activist known for undertaking fasts and protests to demand accountability, climate action, and educational reforms; education reformer, social activist, climate campaigner.
indefinite fast (noun) – a period of fasting that has no predetermined end date, often used as a tool of political or social protest; hunger strike, sustained starvation protest, fast unto death, non-violent resistance.
forcibly (adverb) – forcefully, violently, compulsorily, against one’s will.
hospitalise (verb) – to admit someone to a hospital for treatment; admit to hospital, institutionalize, place under medical care.
confrontation (noun) – a hostile or argumentative situation or meeting between opposing parties; clash, conflict, face-off, encounter.
eventually (adverb) – in the end, especially after a long delay or dispute; finally, ultimately, at last, in the long run.
concede (verb) – to surrender or yield a right or privilege, often under pressure; yield, give in, surrender, grant.
doorstep (noun) – used to indicate that something is very close to a specific place or entity; threshold, entrance, proximity, boundary.
come too late (phrase) – to happen after the time when it could have been useful or prevented a negative outcome; be delayed, occur belatedly, be untimely, miss the window.
movement (noun) – a group of people working together to advance their shared political, social, or artistic ideas; campaign, crusade, drive, initiative.
born (adjective) – brought into existence or created as a result of a specific situation; created, originated, generated, formed.
satire (noun) – the use of humor, irony, exaggeration, or ridicule to expose and criticize people’s stupidity or vices, particularly in the context of contemporary politics; mockery, ridicule, parody, irony.
bring (a lot of people) to the street (phrase) – to mobilize a massive number of people for a public protest or demonstration; mobilise a mass protest, cause a mass rally, spur public demonstration, galvanise crowds.
a great deal (phrase) – a large amount or extent of something; a lot, a large amount, considerably, substantially. significantly.
own record (noun) – the past history or track performance of an entity regarding a specific issue; past performance, track record, history, background.
source (noun) – origin, root, cause, spring.
litany (noun) – a tedious recital or repetitive series of something, such as complaints; list, catalog, string, series.
grievance (noun) – complaint, injustice, wrong, resentment.
recurring (adjective) – occurring again periodically or repeatedly; repeated, frequent, cyclical, continuous.
National Eligibility cum Entrance Test (NEET) (proper noun) – an all-India pre-medical entrance examination introduced in 2013 for students wishing to pursue undergraduate medical (MBBS), dental (BDS), and AYUSH courses in government and private institutions across India, currently conducted by the National Testing Agency (NTA).
three-language formula (noun) – an educational policy in India designed to promote multilingualism by encouraging students to study three languages during their school education.
lead to (phrasal verb) – to result in a particular situation or event; cause, bring about, result in, produce.
deep (adjective) – very intense or extreme; intense, profound, serious, severe.
administer (verb) – manage, direct, control, oversee.
accountability (noun) – responsibility, answerability, liability, transparency.
read (verb) – interpret, understand, construe, perceive.
anger (noun) – a strong feeling of annoyance, displeasure, or hostility; rage, outrage, fury, wrath.
increasingly (adverb) – to an increasing extent; more and more, progressively, steadily, continuously.
crystallise (verb) – to make or become definite and clear; solidify, materialize, take shape, form.
wider (adjective) – broader, more extensive, comprehensive, expansive.
discontent (noun) – a lack of satisfaction; dissatisfaction, unhappiness, grievance, resentment.
joblessness (noun) – unemployment, lack of work, job scarcity, redundancy.
stagnant (adjective) – showing no activity; dull and sluggish; sluggish, inactive, static, flat.
wage (noun) – a fixed regular payment earned for work or services; salary, pay, remuneration, earnings.
rising prices (noun) – an increase in the cost of goods and services; inflation, price hike, escalating costs, soaring expenses.
weigh on (phrasal verb) – to cause someone to feel anxious or troubled; burden, oppress, trouble, worry.
across (preposition) – throughout, all over, everywhere in, across the breadth of.
intensity (noun) – strength, power, severity, ferocity.
owe much to (phrase) – to exist or be successful because of the help or influence of someone or something; be attributable to, be indebted to, result from, stem from.
disinclination (noun) – a reluctance or lack of enthusiasm; reluctance, unwillingness, hesitation, aversion.
address (verb) – to think about and begin to deal with an issue or problem; tackle, deal with, confront, handle.
in view (phrase) – visible or likely to happen soon; in sight, visible, on the horizon, approaching.
course correction (noun) – the act of changing one’s plan or direction to fix a mistake or improve a situation; strategy change, adjustment, realignment, rectification.
time (verb) – schedule, arrange, set, regulate.
ballot (noun) – election, vote, polling, referendum.
rather than (phrase) – instead of; in place of, as opposed to, as an alternative to, contrary to.
parliamentary session (noun) – a period during which a parliament is convened to conduct its business and debate legislation.
public disquiet (noun) – a feeling of worry, unease, or anxiety among the general population; public unrest, societal anxiety, collective unease, popular discontent.
even as (phrase) – at the very same time as; while, exactly when, simultaneously, at the same time.
narrow (adjective) – won or achieved by only a small margin; close, tight, marginal, slim.
Assembly (noun) – a group of people gathered together, specifically the elected legislative body in a state or region; legislative assembly, state legislature.
read as (phrasal verb) – to be interpreted or understood in a particular way; interpret as, understand as, construe as, take to mean.
expansive (adjective) – extensive, broad, wide-ranging, comprehensive.
mandate (noun) – the authority to carry out a policy, regarded as given by the electorate to a party or candidate that wins an election; authority, approval, endorsement, authorization.
licence (noun) – permission, authority, leeway, liberty.
authoritarian (adjective) – dictatorial, autocratic, tyrannical, despotic.
draw (verb) – attract, elicit, gather, pull.
reminiscent of (phrase) – tending to remind one of something; evocative of, similar to, suggestive of, comparable to.
Aragalaya (noun) – the Sinhalese word for ‘struggle,’ referring to the mass public protests in Sri Lanka in 2022 that led to the resignation of the government over the economic crisis.
Gen Z (noun) – Generation Z; the generation of people born between the late 1990s and early 2010s; The term ‘Gen Z’ refers to individuals born between 1997 and 2012; post-millennials, zoomers.
revolt (noun) – an attempt to put an end to the authority of a person or body by rebelling; rebellion, uprising, mutiny, revolution.
Nepal’s Gen Z revolt (noun) – a youth-led movement or wave of political dissent in Nepal driven primarily by Generation Z, reflecting growing frustration with the political establishment and demands for reform
uprising (noun) – rebellion, revolt, insurrection, mutiny.
Bangladesh’s student uprising (noun) – a student-led protest movement in Bangladesh driven by demands for political reform, accountability, and social justice, with students playing a central role in challenging government policies
though (conjunction) – despite the fact that; although, even though, in spite of the fact that, nevertheless.
scale (noun) – the relative size, extent, or degree of something; magnitude, size, extent, proportion.
narrower (adjective) – more restricted, smaller, closer, tighter.
in comparison (phrase) – when viewed or assessed relative to something else; by contrast, comparatively, relative to, measured against.
tempt (verb) – to entice or attempt to persuade someone to do something; entice, persuade, coax, lure.
wait out (phrasal verb) – to patiently delay action until a specific event or situation comes to an end; endure, sit out, ride out, wait for the end of.
instead of (phrase) – as an alternative to; rather than, in place of, as a substitute for, in lieu of.
correct course (phrase) – to change one’s strategy or direction to rectify a mistake; adjust strategy, change direction, realign, rectify.
seek (verb) – to attempt or desire to obtain or achieve something; try, attempt, endeavor, strive.
duel (noun) – a contest or conflict between two parties; conflict, clash, confrontation, battle.
deflect (verb) – divert, avert, turn away, sidetrack.
attention (noun) – notice taken of someone or something; observation, focus, heed, scrutiny.
proxy (noun) – a person or entity authorized to act on behalf of another, often used to fight indirect conflicts; substitute, surrogate, stand-in, representative.
self-defeating (adjective) – preventing rather than achieving a desired result; counterproductive, futile, useless, self-sabotaging.
deepen (verb) – to make or become worse or more intense; intensify, exacerbate, worsen, aggravate.
disillusionment (noun) – a feeling of disappointment resulting from the discovery that something is not as good as one believed it to be; disappointment, dissatisfaction, disenchantment, cynicism.
in order (phrase) – required, appropriate, or necessary in a particular situation; appropriate, fitting, suitable, called for.
own (verb) – to take full responsibility for a mistake or failure; acknowledge, accept responsibility for, admit to, take the blame for.
on one’s watch (phrase) – during the time someone is in charge of or responsible for something; during one’s tenure, under one’s command, in one’s term, under one’s supervision.
resign (verb) – to voluntarily leave a job or position of office; step down, quit, abdicate, leave.
unceremonious (adjective) –abrupt, sudden, undignified, discourteous.
dismissal (noun) – removal, firing, sacking, discharge.