Calicut 30th May We reached Calicut last night and were greatly relieved to find a nice place to rest. Woke up in the morning - eager to reach the beach. The NFIW representatives took us there; we waded into the sea, walked on the beach, gathering shells – generally had fun!

Later there was a public meeting of 70/80 people. Each one of us was greeted with a rose. Bhanwari Devi, a leading light of the caravan sang a beautiful song. Kavita Mukherjee, a Bengali artist, living in Kerala, spoke about creativity, linking the fight for reservation to reclaiming public and artistic spaces.

It is 8.30 now and we are on our way to Bangalore, passing through a beautiful forest. Hopefully we will reach Bangalore on time tomorrow.