Mukul Sharma, director of Amnesty International's India chapter, readily agreed. "We saw a large number of youths taking part," said Sharma, one of the main organisers.

"Fifty to 60 percent of all those who came here were young women and men. They have taken part in a big way in programmes related to environment, health, culture and music."

Sharma also underlined that people often forgot that youth activism was not confined to only Indian metros. "There is also a lot of youth participation from small towns and tribal areas. This is very important."

Others IANS spoke to agreed that Indian youth of today were probably far removed from their counterpart of the 1970s, widely viewed as the decade of rebellion and revolution.

Down the years, as the Soviet Union and other communist countries in its neighbourhood collapsed and market economy slowly edged out socialism, a certain de-politicisation did take place around the world.