Over 300 women dressed in pink took to Bengaluru’s streets on October 2, demanding safer public spaces and challenging patriarchy. The all-women march began at Mahatma Gandhi Park in Shivajinagar around 8 pm and wound through Kasturba Road before ending at Freedom Park. Carrying flashlights and torches, participants lit up the stretches they walked through. Organised as part of the wider Why Loiter Campaign, the march was held in solidarity with similar women-led protests in Delhi, Mumbai, Guwahati, Panjim, Kolkata, Bhubaneswar and other cities.As the group made its way through the poorly lit road, women could be heard remarking, “Just imagine walking through these streets alone at this hour.” Their safety concerns, which often shape how they navigate everyday life, were echoed throughout the march through chants such as “Smash patriarchy”, “Mere sar mein dard hai, iska karan mard hai”, “Ek kachori, do samosa, in mardon ka kya bharosa” and “Patriarchy hatao, desh bachao”.The power of pinkFor Janacina, pink held a personal meaning. “I believe every girl goes through a phase of hating pink because of the pressure to fit into a category. But later, we embrace it as a new identity. To me, it symbolises growing up as a girl,” she said. At the march, pink became a symbol of solidarity. “To me, it means love, care and unity among women,” she added.Theatrical poet and Bengaluru march organiser Nupur Azadi said pink, or gulabi, was chosen as a nationwide call to action. “Not in an ironic way, but more in a joyous, hopeful reclamation way,” she said, adding that the idea was to reclaim both the streets and the colour itself. Some participants questioned the theme and chose to wear what they wanted.The right to feel safeSoftware engineer Ronita joined the march with her seven-year-old daughter, determined to create a safer future for her. “I don’t think I had a choice. It is my duty as a woman to be here and bring her with me. She will grow up and ask me what I did to secure her future, and I should be able to answer,” she said. The mother-daughter duo carried a placard that read, ‘Am I next?’, which Ronita said reflected a question ‘lingering in all of our minds’.For 19-year-old Janacina, feminism is about more than women’s rights; it is about equality and challenging patriarchy. She believes collective action can slowly shift mindsets. “Little by little, voice by voice, through protests, things can change, people can change, and sooner or later, the mentality of the country will change,” she shared. “I believe this protest helps guide me towards knowing myself a little more.”
