A movement's longevity and its imprint on the public imagination is more often than not accentuated by its participative people and the place of its birth. For a large portion of our generation (born in the 90s), the name Shaheen Bagh is not only reminiscent of a neighbourhood in New Delhi but has also been christened as the birthplace of a resistance that was replicated, emulated and attacked across the nation contemporaneously as well as for times to come. When a group of women spanning generations made a portion of a national highway their home to amplify their voices against an oppressive legislation, the boundaries between the personal, political and public were truly blurred. It was a moment of education, to say the least.
Shaheen Bagh lasted four months, from the chilly nights of December 2019 to the not-so- warm afternoons of March 2020. Photographers, media persons and mute spectators thronged the space - to support, to judge or to possibly do both (and more). Countless images of the times have been (and continue to be) made, copied and distributed. In a Delhi that is now gradually unlocking its streets and barricades to a subsided pandemic, there is also a Delhi that was once home to such a movement. Today, when being in a public space is a source of anxiety for some, there was a time when mass gatherings were a source of solidarity, comfort and hope. Here are four images from those four months to remind us of the same.

The portion of the Kalindi Kunj road that links New Delhi to the satellite township of Noida - home of the Shaheen Bagh protest

While women being at the forefront of a movement is not new to India (Chipko Movement, Narmada Bachao Andolan), the scale, longevity and the movements this sit-in protest inspired seem unparalleled.

The participation and involvement of children in this space drew a lot of flak from different quarters. But a movement speaks for itself. This is the statement that Shaheen Bagh put out regarding participation of children: "To say that a child is too immature to feel their oppression is to belittle and reduce oppression as something that can be felt only by those who understand its nuances".

"Hum kaagaz nahi dikhayenge!" (We will not show our papers). This chant was almost a war-cry for people who would be made to show papers in order to prove that they were citizens of India.
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You can check out the following links to further refresh your memory: https://caravanmagazine.in/photo-essay/standing-their-ground ; https://caravanmagazine.in/politics/shaheen-bagh-locality-caa-protest
The quote about the participation of children has been taken from here: https://thewire.in/law/shaheen-bagh-sc-takes-cognisance-of-infants-death-issues-notices-to-centre-delhi
All the aspects are so beautifully portrayed, whether it's a picture or story, it speaks a lot more than we know and we comprehend through this whole protest movement 🦋