An Ode to Resilience

Glimpses from an extraordinary year filled with struggles and collective strength

- Ishani Nandi

STANDING THEIR GROUND

Widely considered the epicentre of the Anti-CAA (Citizenship Amendment Act) movement, Shaheen Bagh in New Delhi saw thousands of demonstrators— many of them elderly women—come together in a peaceful, sit-in protest for over 100 days, ending only when the countrywide lockdown was declared on 23 March in response to the COVID-19 pandemic. Among these dadis (grandmothers)—as the matrons were fondly dubbed—stood 82-year-old Bilkis Bano, whose tenacious spirit inspired millions and held the protest strong. Hailed as “the voice of the marginalized”, Bilkis was named one of TIME Magazine’s 100 Most Influential People, 2020. 19 February