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How Indian Millennials Quietly Took Over the Stock Market Back in early 2020 the world hit pause, offices shut down streets fell silent and suddenly people had more time than they knew what to do with. somewhere in that strange, uncertain, silence, a quiet financial revolution began not in banks or boardrooms, but in bedrooms, living rooms, and tiny rented flats. A 26 year old graphic designer, bored between freelance gigs downloaded a stock market app just to see what the fuss was about. A young IT guy in Pune started watching YouTube videos about mutual funds while waiting for his next Zoom call. A school teacher home during the lockdown put her first ₹1,000 into a SIP after watching a reel that explained compounding in under 30 seconds. It didn’t feel like history being made but it was. For decades the stock market felt like something “other people” did. Something for finance folks rich uncles, or people who wore suits. But post 2020 something shifted. With time to spare, questions about money on everyone’s mind and smartphones in every hand, young Indians especially millennials started looking at investing not as a luxury but as a necessity. It helped that the entry gates were now wide open no more intimidating paperwork no dealing with some uncle who worked in LIC. Just a few taps on apps like Zerodha, Groww, or Paytm Money and boom you were in. And the best part? You didn’t need ₹50,000 to start you could invest ₹100 and that was okay. Suddenly investing wasn’t a rich person’s sport It became normal quietly steadily demat accounts started piling up and most of them belonged to people under 35. Of course this wasn’t just about boredom or FOMO It was about a mindset change. For a long time millennials were told to save, play safe and stick to fixed deposits. But the pandemic shook that belief people realized that playing too safe could be risky too especially with inflation rising and job security looking shaky. And then came the influencers. Finance creators turned complicated charts into snack sized videos. Instagram reels made “compounding” a buzzword. Reddit threads taught lessons that no school ever did. People started sharing screenshots of their gains and sometimes their losses and slowly, a community was born not a perfect one but one that was trying. Were there mistakes? Of course Some chased hype stocks some jumped into options without understanding the risks. Some made money others lost a lot. But most importantly they stayed they learned they adjusted. Some realized trading was not for them and shifted to long term investing. Many started SIPs not because someone told them to but because they saw their friends doing it. Saving ₹5,000 a month for the future suddenly felt more powerful than buying the newest phone. And then there’s the mindset part this generation doesn’t just want returns they want purpose. They are putting money into companies that make sense to them clean energy, tech, digital platforms, startups they admire. For them investing is a way to shape the world they want to live in. This is not a headline making revolution, It’s not loud, It’s not always trending, but it’s real. It’s in the quiet confidence of a 29 year old who checks her portfolio every Sunday. In the proud smile of a college student who just bought his first mutual fund. In the late night conversations between friends about what stocks to hold and what lessons they’ve learned the hard way. Millennials in India didn’t just join the stock market. They changed its rhythm. PICTURE CREDIT - ChatGPT