India, Dec. 8 -- India's democratic future now rests, more than ever, on the shoulders of its young. This may sound like a familiar refrain, but the circumstances today are sharper and more unforgiving. The old political class has settled into its habits. The institutions built to check power have grown timid. The public sphere is thick with noise, propaganda and mistrust. In this atmosphere, only the imagination and impatience of the young can force a different outcome.

Yet the Indian youth is not a monolith. Nor is it flawless. Many young Indians are alert, digitally savvy and eager to question authority. But others fall easily into the echo chambers crafted for them. They mistake online skirmishes for political participation. They rec...