Nepal, Sept. 8 -- On 8 September 2025, Icchya Thapa, 23, woke up all excited to join the rally that Nepal's GenZ had been organising online.

Like many young Nepalis, she was outraged by a corrupt sociopolitical system that made the rich richer and disregarded ordinary people struggling to survive.

She had taken a half day off at work to join the protest, and headed to the Maitighar Mandala roundabout with a friend. It was a bright sunny morning, and they joined hundreds of other young demonstrators. Waving placards and banners, they chanted, played music, and marched against the status quo.

"The rally was peaceful, people were handing out water bottles and urging others not to litter. We were all having a good time," Thapa recalls, a ...