Social activist Shabnam Hashmi feels part vindicated, part surprised, when she tells us of the numbers of women who spilled on to the streets of Delhi on Thursday afternoon. The former, because Hashmi was aware of the growing anger against the ruling government for having undermined the "hard-won freedom" of women over the last five years. What she hadn't seen coming was the massive turnout — over 40,000 women participated in Delhi, with 150-odd rallies across the country on the same day — as part of the Women March For Change campaign. The planning, she says, was done at short notice — March 22, to be specific — and mainly through social media platforms. "The fact that it picked up so soon is a strong indication that women are disappointed," she says. "What it has also done is break the atmosphere of fear."

Hashmi clarifies that she has no affiliation with any party. "I have fought against the Congress-ruled UPA, too. In fact, in 2004, we were arrested for a demonstration inside the Parliament to demand the repeal of the controversial Prevention of Terrorism Act [POTA]." But the difference between this government and those of the past, she says, is that this one is fascist and intolerant. This sentiment might not be one that is shared by all women in the country. But the fact that women form a significant 48.13 per cent of the electorate, with nearly 4.35 crore first-time voter registrations, as compared to 3.8 crore male voters, means their voices will matter, now more than ever.