The Maoists surrendered their weapons, came out of the jungles, and were allowed to contest, and even join the government. Some Indian media headlines amplified their frame -- “Gen Z wants a Hindu Rashtra” -- as if willing a kingdom back to life. In a week when palaces flickered in some imaginations and arsonists tried to claim the streets, Nepal’s youth and its old democrats chose a judge. This month’s uprising belongs to Gen Z, but it stands on the shoulders of many who marched before them. Ruchira Gupta is the author of The Freedom Seeker & I Kick and I Fly, founder of NGO Apne Aap and a professor at NYU.