I've never had the stamina for Twitter. I already have within me a repository of renewable rage potent enough to electrify a megalopolis, were the technology available. I decided I didn't need to expose myself to more triggers. I haven't disabled my account, but I log in ever so often just to see if someone has tried to get in touch with me through a direct message, or to retweet a link to a piece I've published, or to find information about nearby protests I could attend.

This Monday I was doing exactly that. But while sifting through mentions of my handle, I stumbled upon a range of vitriolic tweets linked to my column from last week. I had clearly touched a Hindutva nerve. In retaliation, its troll army had reared their vitriolic head and decided to go somewhat nuclear on me. I wasn't intimidated as much as amused. How do you react when someone who doesn't know you from Eve expresses confusion that I, "a 'Christian' woman is against 'brahminical' patriarchy," as if these two concepts were mutually exclusive, as if the caste system didn't historically replicate itself during conversion. I learned two things from this incident.