It was electrifying to see the thicket of people that had formed at Mandi House. The head of the march, of many thousands, was scarcely visible. My friend and I wound our way towards the head, feeling instantly at home, infused by the spirit of harmony, the sense of a shared vision, that made all the protestors, across class, age, and gender, happy and energised to be around each other.
Up ahead, speakers stood at the back of a truck, stirring us with their speeches. And beyond the mid-section of the march, where their voices could not reach, people sang together, while walking towards Jantar Mantar.
This is one of the best Delhi walks I have done, walking in solidarity, towards a common vision for a free and democratic India. Some of the faces that I spied reappeared in my sketch book:
|
| Banners asking to repeal the sedition law. |
|
| Free speech under attack. |
|
| A gorgeous man in a green sari. |
|
| Flower power: A peaceful, gender-neutral march. |
|
| Man in a suit has a different agenda. |
