Archive · 15 Aug 2026
For Gen Z, Independence Day Freedom Means Living Without Fear
Mint Lounge is a newspaper section that, for India's Independence Day, asked young people what freedom means to them.
The young people, called Gen Z, said that freedom means being able to live without fear.
They want to be free from labels, judgement, and pressure to fit in.
They also want a fair chance to become the person they truly are.
The magazine turned their answers into a list of the ten freedoms Gen Z wants.
This comes after a month of protests in a place called Jantar Mantar, where young people demanded the right to live true to themselves.
The same issue has other stories, such as young people taking up slow hobbies like knitting, gardening, and baking to take a break from screens.
It also shares a new book about the painter Tyeb Mehta, who lived through the Partition of India.
And it tests an electric Mercedes-Benz car on bumpy roads in the arid region near Khetri, Rajasthan.
All these stories show different ways people think about freedom and living life on their own terms.
Mint Lounge asked Gen Z what Independence Day means to them for its 15 August 2026 issue, compiling a list of what it calls the ten freedoms Gen Z wants.
At the heart of Gen Z's demands is the freedom to live without fear, which the magazine links to the young people who resisted British rule.
Gen Z says it wants to break free from labels, judgement, conformity, friction, silence and feeling compromised to get a fair chance to become their own person.
The issue follows a month of protests at Jantar Mantar, with the demand to live in a way that is true to oneself without fear.
The edition also covers Gen Z's offline 'grandma hobbies' like knitting and gardening, a centenary book on artist Tyeb Mehta, and an electric Mercedes-Benz G-wagon off-road test in Rajasthan.
- Who
- Gen Z in India, asked by Mint Lounge for its 15 August issue; the feature follows young protesters at Jantar Mantar.
- What
- A list of the ten freedoms Gen Z wants, with the freedom to live without fear at its heart.
- When
- Published for the 15 August 2026 issue, nearly three weeks after a month of protests at Jantar Mantar ended.
- Where
- India, including the protests at Jantar Mantar; the issue also covers Khetri, Rajasthan, for its electric SUV test.
- Why
- To capture how Gen Z defines independence and self-expression on Independence Day, centring on the demand to live without fear.
Older generations' perspective
Gen Z's perspective
How to rate young people's demands
Older generations' perspective
Older generations tend to tell young people they 'have it so good' when they ask for more or express themselves.
Gen Z's perspective
Gen Z insists on the freedom to live without fear and to be allowed to become their own person, seeing this as a fair chance rather than an unreasonable demand.
- Publication
- Mint Lounge
- Edition
- 15 August 2026 Independence Day issue
- Listed freedoms
- The ten freedoms Gen Z wants
- Core demand
- Freedom to live without fear
- Backdrop
- A month of protests at Jantar Mantar, with barricades removed nearly three weeks earlier
- Reference film
- Dil Chahta Hai, released 25 years ago
- Electric SUV tested
- Mercedes-Benz G580 EQ Technology Edition One on tracks in Khetri, Rajasthan
- Art feature
- New book and exhibition for Tyeb Mehta's centenary year; 'Falling Bird' (1999) in Kiran Nadar Museum of Art collection