The Other Face of Azadi: The Presence of Women in the Movement

It was the call of azadi that first brought us out of our homes. All of us – women, men, the young and the aged – came out from villages and towns in support of it. My mother also rallied around this call. In the beginning of the Tehreek-e Azadi people came out voluntarily in support of the militants. People even invited them home for meals and also donated money for the cause. They were treated as though they were gods. The spirited, fervent slogans and the people’s enthusiastic response made it seem as though our victory was only a few days away. Then days turned into months and years . . .  yehan se nara toh wahan se goli (a slogan from here and a bullet from there). To contain this upsurge, army atrocities on people increased leading to untold suffering and injustice.