At Shaheen Bagh, almost every conversation begins with Aapne kuch khaya? Nahin? Kya khayenge? Kyun nahin, aap door se aaye ho hamara saath dene, kuch to kaa lijiye...
These from folks who have been sitting out there 24/7 in the coldest December in decades.
These from folks who have been sitting out there 24/7 in the coldest December in decades.
You read the news, and wallow in the viciousness of social media, and listen to the bile of bloviqting studio anchors, until you are equal parts despair and rage.
And then you come to a Jamia, where outside gate 7 a group of students are quietly reading on the pavement +
And then you come to a Jamia, where outside gate 7 a group of students are quietly reading on the pavement +
You hand over a bagful of books two good friends have entrusted you with. And you ask, are there specific books you need I can get for you?
"Yes, please - easy to read, annotated copies of the Constitution. Books on our history and culture...."
These are the "anti-nationals".
"Yes, please - easy to read, annotated copies of the Constitution. Books on our history and culture...."
These are the "anti-nationals".
There is sharp political commentary everywhere you look. Image galleries showcasing iconic moments from the freedom struggle. And then the likes of these - instant "editorials" on an increasingly volatile world. 
Speaking of political commentary...
A million mutinies now? That is Jamia. A few thousand people are crammed on a stretch of road between gates 5 and 7. And a hundred protests are on simultaneously, in crazy, chaotic juxtaposition. One group reading on the pavement to protest the desecration of their library. +
Adjacent, another group of about a dozen students gathered in a circle, chanting slogans. A lady with a megaphone speaks to the inequities of the CAA+NRC; a few dozen gather to listen and when she is done, the assemblage spontaneously turns into a march along the stretch of road+
Those marchers meet another group marching in the other direction and briefly, both groups meet, mingle, echo each other's slogans, move on.
Elsewhere, a gent, all on his lonesome, just standing there...
Diagonally opposite him, this:
And at the farthest end, Anas (here in conversation with @surekhapillai )and his team of young girl volunteers handing out steaming-hot tea in small disposable cups.
"My message is for Modi and Shah..."
Earlier today @AratiKumarRao spoke to me of an India that is "wild, and free, and messy, and noisy".
Jamia is all of that, and so much more.
Stoic. Defiant. Determined.
Jamia is all of that, and so much more.
Stoic. Defiant. Determined.
@AratiKumarRao In the midst of this chaos, a small group of students plan a JMI website.
"They lie about us, all the time. And the lies 'justify' the violence they let loose. Somewhere, someone has to tell the truth about Jamia, no? There has to be someplace where people can see who we are?"
"They lie about us, all the time. And the lies 'justify' the violence they let loose. Somewhere, someone has to tell the truth about Jamia, no? There has to be someplace where people can see who we are?"
And, some three kilometres and several light years away, this: the women of Shaheen Bhag, patiently listening to speaker after speaker telling them what they are fighting for.
From talking to some of them, I think they know already:
Peace.
From talking to some of them, I think they know already:
Peace.
And that, until I can make sense of all I saw, heard, felt during this Delhi trip and write with some degree of coherence, is that on this thread.
Be safe, people.
Be safe, people.
