- 6 weeks ago
In this episode of 5 Live, the focus is on the gig workers' nationwide strike and what led them to go on a warpath on New Year's Eve.
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00:00Hello and welcome. This is 5 Live. I'm Soral Merotra Kapoor. It's the last day of 2025. So it's only good that we bring you this day full of cheer, full of some hope, but full of some concerns as well.
00:15Well, today if you were planning to sit back at home and order that pizza and perhaps just Netflix and chill, think again. Because all your quick commerce delivery boys out there, which have become sort of our dependability quotient these days, they are on strike. Not all of them, some of them. So there will be difficulty in ordering in food.
00:35But more important than that is what's caused this strike. What's compelling them to actually let go of business on the biggest day of the year. All that and then also a new trend coming up this New Year's Eve. It's not just clubbing, it's bhajan clubbing. What exactly is happening there? All of that is what we'll cover on the program. I'm Soral Merotra Kapoor. Here are the headlines at this hour.
01:01Backbone of India's economy. The gig workers observe a nationwide strike, a demand, better pay, social security and also no 10 minute delivery is what they're asking. Delivery services impacted across the country.
01:17Shocker from NCR. A young woman gangraved for two hours in a moving van before being thrown out in Faridabad. Victim admitted to a hospital is in a state of shock. Both the accused have been arrested.
01:35Civic apathy claims lives in Indore. Seven people dead and over 100 hospitalized after consuming contaminated water. Zonal officer and assistant engineer have been suspended.
01:53State of war Bengal heats up. TMC delegation meets election commission says poll panel unable to answer on SIR concerns. Home Minister Amit Shah meanwhile meets BJP MPs.
02:04and MLA's and MLA's and asked party Netas to intensify the poll campaign.
02:11The health ministry has now banned the manufacture, sale and distribution of all oral formulation of pain and fever medication containing, I'm so lied, about 100 grams or above 100 grams actually with immediate effect citing health concerns.
02:30And while bad weather continues to disrupt flight operations as many as 150 flights cancelled, 250 delayed in Delhi alone due to fog, sometimes smog.
02:44And Beijing is following Washington's template tries to take credit for India, Pakistan's ceasefire claiming they mediated. India refutes those claims, asserts there were no third party intervention.
03:01Bangladesh's first female Prime Minister Kalida Ziya now laid to rest next to her husband and BNP founder Ziya Rahman in a funeral attended by lakhs of people.
03:17The RDO has successfully conducted a salvo launch of two Parley missiles in quick succession from the same launcher of the coast of Odisha.
03:30The flight test carried out as part of the user evaluation trials saw both missiles follow their intended trajectories and meet all mission objectives.
03:39And finally, let us festive cheer across the world celebrations are underway as countdown to 2026 begins.
03:49New Zealand has already welcomed the new year with fireworks.
03:52We too wish all of you a very happy new year.
04:01Alright, on to the big concern this New Year's Eve.
04:04These people are the backbone of our economy, the lifeline of our daily needs, the reason our lives run in comfort.
04:14But today, as the nation celebrates, gig workers are forced to step onto the streets, not in protest, but in desperation, just to be heard.
04:25In fact, they're stepping off the streets, if one can call them that.
04:28Delivery partners across the country are observing a nationwide strike, demanding humane working hours.
04:35In some places, the call has resonated.
04:38In others, the need to earn has silenced the fight for rights.
04:42That's how desperate some of them are.
04:44Yet the message from India's gig workers is unmissable.
04:48Treat us like humans, not machines.
04:58The mood is celebratory across the country.
05:01A new year is around the corner, bringing new hopes, dreams and ambitions.
05:06But for some, there's no pause.
05:08No celebration, only survival.
05:14As India steps into 2026, gig workers, the invisible backbone of our comfort, are on the streets.
05:20The very hands that bring food to our doors, groceries to our homes, parcels to our offices, are observing a day-long nationwide strike.
05:31Delivery partners from platforms like Blinkit, Swiggy, Zomato, Zepto and Amazon are protesting across cities.
05:39The demands are simple, yet unmet.
05:42An end to exploitation, reasonable working hours, an end to the dangerous 10-minute delivery race, fair wages and basic social security.
05:52In Delhi, gig workers say they're being pushed to their physical limits, forced to choose
06:21between speed and safety.
06:24The skills are the only way that the payout is so much.
06:28It can't be as much as possible as it should be.
06:31The payout is increased.
06:33It's 67 rupees per kilometer.
06:37It's 67 rupees per kilometer.
06:38It's a little bit more.
06:40If they do it, they can't be less than 12-15 hours.
06:43If they can decrease three hours, they can increase the incentive.
06:47Hyderabad is witnessing similar scenes, with thousands taking to the streets.
06:52But this is an unorganized workforce.
06:53Many were unaware of the strike and continued working.
06:55But this is an unorganized workforce.
07:02Many were unaware of the strike and continued working.
07:09The gig workers in Mumbai who were set to be on strike are very much working.
07:15And 31st December is a time when a lot of people order online.
07:31So people are here, bikes are gathered, different application workers.
07:38There have been problems on their working conditions, their payments and the delivery which they have
07:44to make, which compromises their safety.
07:46But it seems that the unions are still yet to organize and call for the rights and policies
07:54for a better living of these workers.
07:56Others knew about the protest, yet stayed on the job.
08:01Not because the problems don't exist, but because hunger cannot be put on hold.
08:07AAP MP Raghav Chadda, who raised the problems of gig workers in parliament,
08:11says it's about time their cries are heard.
08:14They are working on the job of 14 hours daily.
08:17Whether it's cold, hot, cold, cold, cold, cold, cold, fog,
08:22these people are working without any protective gear, without special bonus,
08:26without thousands of alliances.
08:29And sir, they are working on their work as well as a better job.
08:33Because they don't get permanent employment,
08:35they don't get human working conditions,
08:37they don't get health insurance.
08:39They need to think about it,
08:41and the guilt of the 10-minute delivery,
08:43they need to fix it.
08:46To blunt the impact of the nationwide strike,
08:49platforms like Zomato and Swiggy are offering higher incentives for deliveries today.
08:54Will those who power India's convenience finally be heard?
08:58Or is their fight for dignity only beginning?
09:00Only time will tell.
09:02With Anagar from Chennai, Mustafa from Mumbai,
09:05Bureau Report, India Today.
09:09As the clock ticks towards midnight,
09:12India rings in the new year with celebration, colour and contrast.
09:16From the party capital, Goa,
09:18where beach shacks, DJs and fireworks light up the shoreline,
09:22Metros like Mumbai, Delhi, Bengaluru,
09:25even Chennai and Hyderabad are hosting packed clubs,
09:28rooftop countdowns and star-studded bashes.
09:32In the hills of Manali and Shillong,
09:34of course, the tourists are welcoming 2026,
09:37amid snow, music, warm bonfires.
09:40But while some party, others pray.
09:43In Varanasi and Rishikesh,
09:45devotees are choosing silent spirituality and reflection to mark the new year.
09:50Across the country, police remains on high alert,
09:53with strict drunk driving checks, crowd management and heightened security in place.
09:58Different ways, one big moment.
10:01India steps into the new year with joy, faith, wild celebrations and sometimes quiet reflections.
10:09And it's not just India, right?
10:11Let's also bring you pictures from across the world.
10:14Other parts of the world are already celebrating the start of 2026.
10:18The clock has struck midnight in New Zealand,
10:21where spectacular fireworks lit up the skies over Auckland.
10:26Those are just some of the pictures.
10:44Also, the celebrations are being matched with caution and care across India's metros.
10:54From Delhi to Mumbai to Bengaluru, security agencies are on high alert on New Year's Eve,
11:00stepping up vigil to ensure public safety.
11:03As the country rings in the new year under watchful eyes,
11:06here's a report on what the preparations are looking like.
11:14As the country gears up to welcome the new year,
11:24celebrations are set to light up India's biggest cities.
11:28But behind the music, lights and midnight countdowns,
11:32security agencies across metros are on high alert,
11:35to ensure the celebrations remain safe and incident-free.
11:44In the national capital, preparations for New Year 2026 are complete.
11:53Connaught Place, the heart of Delhi's New Year celebrations,
11:56is under intense surveillance.
12:01Delhi police conducted a full-scale mock drill at Connaught Place and Rajiv Chalk Metro Station.
12:08Police teams, dog squads and bomb disposal units rushed in,
12:13cordoned off the area, halted public movement and carried out checks.
12:18The full area is closed off.
12:24The black strike bag is the yellow bag.
12:27This black bag is found at which the police got information,
12:39Just across Delhi, Noida is also on high alert.
13:04In Gautam, Budnagar, senior police officials led a checking drive at Garden Galeria Mall,
13:11one of the most crowded New Year hotspots.
13:15Bar and restaurant owners have been instructed not to allow overcrowding, with strict warnings
13:21issued against drunk driving.
13:25More than 2,000 police personnel will be deployed on this occasion.
13:29The police personnel are also in the neighbourhood of PA.
13:36The police personnel, and police personnel, and police personnel are also in the area.
13:43The police personnel will be deployed to the parking.
13:48In Mumbai, New Year preparations have a spiritual focus.
14:05At the Siddhi Vinayak temple, large crowds of devotees are expected with elaborate arrangements in place for crowd management, safety and smooth darshan.
14:18For the party-goers who will be out till late next morning, Mumbai Metro's Aqualine 3 will operate through the night.
14:26In the morning, the Siddhi Vinayak temple is created by the Siddhi Vinayak temple, and in the 2026, the Siddhi Vinayak temple is also created by the Siddhi Vinayak temple.
14:42And in Bengaluru, one of the biggest New Year safety plans is in motion.
14:50Over 20,000 police personnel are deployed, with crowd control at hotspots like MG Road, Brigade Road and Church Street.
14:59Night buses will run through the night. Women's safety teams are on the streets.
15:05Surveillance is tight, and police say there will be zero tolerance for drunk driving.
15:10This time around, the police have put the barricade, and they can only walk, people can only walk through the barricades and enter all the restaurants that you see here, and the pubs, and the hotels that you see here.
15:22And clear-cut guidelines have been given to all the pubs and bars as well, that they have to have female bouncers, they have to have CCTV cameras, fire extinguishers are a must.
15:34And here also, if I can show you, there are police watchtowers that have been put in place to ensure safety protocols.
15:43From heightened security drills in Delhi and Noida, to crowd control in Mumbai and massive policing in Bengaluru,
15:51cities are ready to welcome the New Year with celebration, caution and care.
15:57Bureau Report, India Today.
16:05Alright, so a little while ago we told you about the kind of celebrations that happen in India, right?
16:11There are two kinds.
16:12The older generation goes out and does bhajans, or New Year's Eve or 1st of Jan,
16:18while the younger generation goes out clubbing.
16:20But now, there is a trend that actually brings the two worlds together.
16:26It's as simply called bhajan clubbing.
16:30What exactly is that, and why is it taking the country's young people by storm?
16:35Let's tell you a little bit about that.
16:37This is a trend where devotion meets your bass drop.
16:42The club looks the same, lights are the same, but the music, that has changed completely.
16:47Instead of DJs dropping chartbusters, they are mixing traditional bhajans with electronic beats,
16:55turning familiar chants into high-energy tracks that fill up the dance floor.
17:01These are no loud slogans, no chaos, just music, maybe movement, but also definitely some meaning.
17:09As India rings in the new year, Gen Z is choosing bhakti over bhoos, chants over chaos, and celebration with purpose.
17:21People sing along, dance together, stay fully present, but that's just me telling you all about it.
17:26Let me bring forward people who actually brought in this trend in India and now have become household names.
17:34If you don't know them, let me introduce them to you.
17:37Raghav and Prachi, backstage siblings, are here with us.
17:42Hello, guys. How are you doing?
17:45And firstly, you know, you guys are backstage siblings.
17:49You guys sing bhajans on guitars and electronic music.
17:53But offstage, you guys are investment bankers and fixed-income traders, which is really fascinating.
18:00First up, explain to all people watching, what exactly is bhajan clubbing?
18:12Okay, let me just put it this way.
18:14Bhajan clubbing is nothing but singing without any substances, without any food.
18:21And when I say singing, the songs can be spiritual songs.
18:23It could be Bollywood songs.
18:25It is just reconnecting with yourself in a different way.
18:28So we call it bhajan and clubbing because it involves spirituality, it involves the rock,
18:34it involves the kick, it involves a new Gen Z fun without you being lost in any other substances.
18:40You are the fun girl.
18:42So this is basically music.
18:45It could be anything from spiritual music to Sufi to Bollywood, anything,
18:50but just that there is no alcohol, no substances, no food.
18:54Am I getting that right?
18:58Absolutely.
18:59Any song that you can dedicate to the almighty, any song, beat a Bollywood song, beat a rock song or a bhajan.
19:06Okay, I must say that, you know, when you guys went viral, the first reaction I got from the boomers in my house at least was,
19:13how many good kids are.
19:14You know, such lovely kids.
19:16They do such good stuff.
19:18They're taking bhajans to Gen Z and they're not, you know, sort of shying away from it.
19:23Is that the usual response that you guys also get?
19:25We started this one year back with our own city, Calcutta.
19:33We hosted a jamming session with around 50 people.
19:36We forced our friends to put story.
19:38We forced them to come.
19:40And since day one, that was the audience of 50 people.
19:44And now we are doing a bhajan jamming tour, which involves 4,000, 5,000 people per show.
19:49So yes, a few rules have been similar, like straight up, same from the start that we always wanted to create something around music.
19:56We do jam at home.
19:58She's my own sister here.
20:00And we have been doing this all our lives in our living room.
20:02And we wanted to give the same experience.
20:04And especially today when people have forgotten how to look up in this world of technology.
20:09And then people are so much stressed about things.
20:13We wanted this one hour to be for themselves.
20:15A complete stress buster.
20:16I like that.
20:18People have forgotten how to look up.
20:20We are constantly looking down on our phones and not interacting with others, which is great.
20:25But guys, do you remember Raghavan Prachi?
20:28The first song that you guys perhaps jammed on?
20:34First song, what was that?
20:36I think we've always been jamming to bhajans.
20:38Ram, Ram, Ja, Raja, Ram, Sri, Krishna, Govind, Hare, Marari.
20:42We have a song that has always been with us since day one.
20:45We can definitely give you a short glimpse of it.
20:48I'll just pull up my guitar.
20:49Yeah.
20:49Yeah.
21:15I'll just pull up my guitar.
21:16I'll just pull up my guitar.
21:17I'll just pull up my guitar.
21:18I'll just pull up my guitar.
21:19I'll just pull up my guitar.
21:21Beautiful, guys.
21:50Beautiful.
21:50You know, I have to admit that millennials like me, you know, we grew up to these songs.
21:56I remember in my house, my buddy papa would perhaps play these bhajans early in the morning.
22:01But the difference is we never thought it was cool.
22:04We always thought that, you know, bhajans is something that perhaps old people do, which
22:08I think is the biggest shift that you guys have brought.
22:11You've made spirituality cool again.
22:13Actually, you know, we believe in it that this has always been there.
22:20What's happening now is just a shift of perception.
22:23This has always brought this piece to people.
22:25But now people are more comfortable accepting it.
22:28Earlier, there was a bit of a hesitant there.
22:30But this is a paradigm shift that we are trying to get that it's okay to not be under influence
22:36of something.
22:37It's okay if you just want to sit and sing.
22:40I mean, you can be with yourself.
22:42And this is not uncool in any way.
22:44And we're getting over the stereotype that this is just for the millennials or this is just
22:47for the boomers.
22:48No, it's not.
22:48It's not.
22:49But talking about millennials and boomers, I'm looking at these spectacular images from
22:55some of the concerts that you guys have done.
22:57Give me a demographic breakup.
22:59When you guys do these concerts, what is the age bracket of people who are really coming
23:04in?
23:09You'll be surprised to hear this.
23:1185% of the people are from the age group of 18 to 30.
23:15Wow.
23:16Only 15% are above 30.
23:19Even on our Instagram, whatever the traction you're getting, 85 to 90% people are from
23:2418 to 30.
23:25We're doing sellout shows because of this thing that they are actually liking it.
23:29And the thing is, they're getting their parents along.
23:33They're getting their dates along.
23:34They're getting their friends along.
23:36It's a one-stop place for anybody.
23:38Sometimes also their grandparents.
23:41Yeah, absolutely.
23:43But tell me about this.
23:45Are you saying that there will be New Year's bhajan jamming happening where there'll
23:49be no alcohol and nobody will complain?
23:51Well, we're getting, in fact, the other thing, other way around.
23:56People are happy about it.
23:58One thing which is different and they really appreciate this thing about it.
24:02That there is no substances.
24:03Well, trust Gen Z to be sort of doing this.
24:07But tell me about the type of songs, perhaps, that you guys do here.
24:12Is it largely bhajan?
24:13I did see a reel of yours that went viral.
24:16It was sort of a medley of lots of songs put together, including Bollywood.
24:20New Year's specifically, we've decided to spend it here with our family.
24:26However, we're doing a Pan-India bhajan jamming tour in Japan match, which will be in the
24:31top 6 to 10 cities in the country.
24:33There's 4,000, 5,000 people around it.
24:36For sure.
24:36Yes.
24:37And we're going to launch the tickets on 4th January.
24:40We're looking forward to that.
24:41The type of songs, once again.
24:43Audience, the people decide the song.
24:45We literally are in the crowd and we jam together.
24:49We don't believe in delivering, but we believe in making people sing.
24:52So, mix of bhajans, it will be Bollywood.
24:55If someone wants to dedicate some song, it will be that.
24:57People dance, people sing.
24:59The songs, the vibe, it all comes from the audience.
25:01Exactly.
25:03Oh, how lovely.
25:03So, it's like a nicer, cozier version of the whole thing, right?
25:07But, and you also talked about a different kind of high.
25:09This is a musical high that you're giving to people.
25:12Not the other kinds that we shall not talk about anymore.
25:18Okay, chala, we'll create one song.
25:50Chala, chala, chala, chala.
26:20Chala, chala, chala, chala.
26:50Chala, chala, chala, chala, chala, chala, chala.
26:57Chala, chala, chala, chala, chala, chala.
26:59Chala, chala, chala, chala, chala.
27:00Lovely.
27:01You went from Bollywood to a bhajan and then back to some Sufi, then back to bhajan.
27:06Wow, like now I'm getting a sense of what bhajan jamming is, but I have to admit to you guys that, you know, as this year draws to a close and we're speaking on the last day, 2025 has also been the year of Gen Z reckoning.
27:20Right? Look at what happened in Nepal, in Bangladesh, in India too. In India, Gen Z managed to overturn two very important Supreme Court orders. They got the attention of everybody and made things happen.
27:32So if you had to dedicate, you know, a song to your fellow Gen Z, would you think of one?
27:41We can do Bollywood also, you're right.
27:48Yeah, sure.
28:11Okay.
28:19That is a song true, true to both of you, I must say.
28:46Thank you so much for that, because you are really bringing in the new zamana and bringing
28:51in the new trends as well along with it, and that's why I'm so in love and in awe with
28:56what Gen Z does.
28:57Last question really, if you had to leave all of us with a song that defines you siblings,
29:04who are defying all odds, making their own trends, starting their own zamana as they
29:09say, what song would that be?
29:16Let's do this with one important line which we love from a song.
29:23Beautiful.
29:24Beautiful.
29:25Beautiful.
29:26Beautiful.
29:27Beautiful.
29:28It says,
29:30Dekho ye duniya kitni hasi, par tum bhi to kuch kam nahi.
29:37It says, Dekho ye duniya kitni hasi, par tum bhi to kuch kam nahi.
29:56Truly, truly, such a nice inspirational 2026 anthem you've given me to think about.
30:05Thank you so much both of you for joining us.
30:07Happy Bhajan Clubbing to you.
30:09And I'm sort of totally rooting it for this trend because this one keeps your health also
30:13in check.
30:14No substances, no alcohol, just good immersion and one with self.
30:19Happy New Year to you.
30:20Thank you so much for sharing your last day with us and to all of our viewers as well.
30:24Thank you so much for watching.
30:25That's a wrap from 2025.
30:27We'll see you again in the next year.
30:29Bye bye.
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