India, July 27 -- Anoosheh says she knows exactly why she spent 15 to 16 hours a day at the Jantar Mantar protest. The class 12 student moved from Uttar Pradesh to the capital two years ago to study and attend coaching classes for NEET, the national-level entrance exam for undergraduate medical school.

Staying at a paying guest accommodation away from family, the daughter of government school teachers, like so many students of her generation, grew up with the idea that education was the key to a better life, that hard work would not go unrewarded and that merit would lead to financial security, autonomy and dignity.

For many young people today, that promise has turned out to be increasingly hollow.

Over half of India's graduates are un...