India’s Generation Z ~ the 370 million under-25s who now define the nation’s social media pulse ~ stands at an unusual crossroad. They are informed, expressive, and globally connected like no generation before them, yet they are strikingly absent from the streets. Their silence is not apathy, but a reflection of how power, fear, and identity have reshaped dissent in the world’s largest democracy. Across Asia, young people have shaken governments and forced policy reversals, mobilised through encrypted apps and digital solidarity. In India, however, the same digital fire burns inwardly, fuelling awareness but rarely action. This is a generation that grew up witnessing protests turn violent, leaders jailed, and universities stripped of their activist traditions.

They understand the costs of defiance. In a society where dissent is easily branded “anti-national,” rebellion demands a courage that many cannot afford. Many........

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