28th May, Madurai: A crowd of almost 300 people including local activists from AIDWA, NFIW, EKTA and other organizations welcomed us in Madurai. The public meeting was one of the most intense on this route. The Bill was debated with all its layers such as quota-within-quota, reservation for Muslims and so on. The consensus in the group was that the sub-quota demand was not the result of a sudden concern for minority groups but a strategy to divide the movement.

The press was inquisitive. We were almost bursting at the seams with our answers, raging to offer counters and present different dimensions.

The local groups organized an impressive performance by members of a third gender group who sang and performed a short play about rights of excluded groups. Our Priyanka too got a loud applause for her performance of Aurat, our home production.

The accommodation in Madurai was comfortable. The breakfast too pleased everyone—it was northern fare, something many of us had started missing. Thanks, dear.