‘We All Belong Here': Mumbai For Peace March Hopes to Reclaim Spaces and Resist Increasing Hatred
हिंदी తెలుగు اردو
Home Politics Economy World Security Law Science Society Culture Editor's Pick Opinion
Support independent journalism. Donate Now
Top Stories
'We All Belong Here': Mumbai For Peace March Hopes to Reclaim Spaces and Resist Increasing Hatred
Tamoghna Chakraborty
4 minutes ago
The rally was also attended and addressed by eminent Mumbai citizens like poet Pradnya Daya Pawar, activists Tushar Gandhi and Shakir Shaikh.
Around 500 citizens took to the streets of Mumbai in a peaceful rally organised by grassroots civil society group Mumbai for Peace. Photo: Instagram/@mumbai4
Real journalism holds power accountable
Since 2015, The Wire has done just that.
But we can continue only with your support.
Contribute now
Mumbai: Around 500 citizens took to the streets of Mumbai on Saturday (May 31) in a peaceful rally organised by grassroots civil society group Mumbai for Peace. Marching from Kotwali Garden to Chaityabhoomi in Dadar, the participants called for harmony, inclusion, and environmental justice amid what they described as growing hatred and intolerance across the country.
According to a press statement released by 'Mumbai for Peace', it was composed of 'concerned citizens and citizens groups, workers, students, women's organisations, Mumbai-based activists'.
The march was held to call for peace as a resistance to 'increasing hate and intolerance all around'. The statement further read, 'Invoking the cosmopolitan and accepting spirit of Mumbai, the rally was held to reassert the commitment of the citizens to the Indian constitution in its 75th year and its values of equality, non discrimination, dignity, secularism, and unity.'
Symbolic Location
The location of the march was also significant, since Dadar is considered the nerve centre of Ethno-Nationalist Hindutva politics in Mumbai and it also houses Dr. B.R. Ambedkar's resting place- Chaityabhoomi.
Activist and educator Chayanika Shah, who attended the march, said in an instagram post, 'In the same neighbourhood where a small group of hate mongers walked saying to some people that they did not belong, a large crowd of hundreds gathered to say 'we all belong'! That we stand for inclusion, for love, for friendship, for respect – what else but PRIDE.'
In an attempt to reclaim the common spaces of the city by the common people, and resist increasing hatred through love, slogans like ' hum sab ek hain', 'Mumbaikars ek hain', 'pyaar mohabbat zindabad', 'Mumbai ki ekta zindabad' were raised.
Environmental advocacy
Mumbai has been facing an existential threat to its marine and ecological diversity. The group also focused upon talking about saving the sea and forest ecology of the city.
Especially considering 5th June is the world environment day, 'slogans to save the environment and protect the beautiful sea and forest that have provided life to Mumbaikars' were also raised.
Participants taking out the Mumbai for Peace March on May 31. Photo: Instagram/@mumbai4peace
Adivasi activists from Aarey Colony (a buffer zone between the city and Sanjay Gandhi National Park and is one of the last green forest spaces left in Mumbai) who have been fighting against forest encroachment and continuing the save Aarey movement also joined the rally.
Eminent Mumbaikars in attendance
The rally was also attended and addressed by eminent Mumbai citizens like poet Pradnya Daya Pawar, activists Tushar Gandhi and Shakir Shaikh, filmmaker Anand Patwardhan, educator Fr Frazer Mascerenhas, writers Urmila Pawar and Madhu Mohite, feminist activist Hasina Khan, amongst others.
The march ended with a symbolic collective reading and pledge of the Preamble of the Constitution in Hindi and Marathi, thus reinforcing the belief in the values of the constitution.
The Wire is now on WhatsApp. Follow our channel for sharp analysis and opinions on the latest developments.
Make a contribution to Independent Journalism
Related News
Why Javed Akhtar's Take on Housing Discrimination Against Muslims in Mumbai is Problematic
'In Public Interest': MMRDA Tells SC as it Scraps Tender for Mumbai Elevated Road, Tunnel Projects
They Were Jailed or Acquitted Years Ago, Yet Police Keeps Visiting Their Families
Mumbai Floods: Aaditya Thackeray, Varsha Gaikwad Slam BJP-BMC Over Civic Collapse
Heavy Rains Lash Mumbai, Administration Issues Red Alert, Urges Citizens to Stay Indoors
Yellow, Black, Blue: How Residents of Mumbai's Govandi Struggle with Dirty Water and an Apathetic BMC
The Redevelopment of Dharavi will Destroy the Livelihoods of Those Who Work in Small Businesses
The Thousands of Wells of Mumbai Serve its People, Birds and Animals
Why Aren't Peace Talks With Maoists an Option?
About Us
Contact Us
Support Us
© Copyright. All Rights Reserved.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Indian Express
16 minutes ago
- Indian Express
Supreme Court to hear plea on row between AIFF and FSDL over non-renewal of contracts of ISL clubs
The Supreme Court on Monday agreed to hear on August 22 a matter involving a row between the All India Football Federation (AIFF) and FSDL over the fate of 11 Indian Super League (ISL) clubs due to the non-renewal of their contracts with the national federation and the tournament's organisers. The 11 ISL clubs have warned the AIFF that they 'face the real possibility of shutting down entirely' if the ongoing impasse regarding the future of the top-tier domestic competition is not resolved soon. A bench of Justices P S Narasimha and A S Chandurkar agreed to hear the plea after amicus curiae and senior advocate Gopal Sankaranarayanan submitted that during the tenure of the contract, Football Sports Development Limited (FSDL) has to honour it by conducting the ISL. 'If it does not, the AIFF should be directed to terminate the contract and float a tender. Otherwise the players suffer and after repeated non-payment, we can be sanctioned by the FIFA,' Sankaranarayanan said. The bench said it would hear the matter on Friday. The clubs wrote a letter to AIFF President Kalyan Chaubey last week, saying the crisis arising out of the non-renewal of the Master Rights Agreement (MRA) between the national federation and the ISL organisers, FSDL, has 'paralysed professional football in India'. 'Over the past 11 years, through sustained investment and coordinated effort, clubs have built youth development systems, training infrastructure, community outreach programmes and professional teams that have elevated India's footballing credibility both domestically and internationally,' the clubs wrote in the letter. 'This progress is now in imminent danger of collapse. The current standstill has created immediate and severe consequences. With operations suspended and no certainty on league continuity, several clubs face the real possibility of shutting down entirely,' they said. The crisis surfaced after FSDL, the ISL organisers as well as the AIFF's commercial partner, put the 2025-26 season 'on hold' on July 11 due to uncertainty over the renewal of the MRA, prompting at least three clubs to either pause first-team operations or suspend player and staff salaries. 'The 2025-26 ISL season is at risk of not taking place at all. This is not merely an administrative deadlock — it is an existential crisis for Indian football. We write to you in the gravest of circumstances,' the clubs wrote. The letter was signed by Bengaluru FC, Hyderabad FC, Odisha FC, Chennaiyin FC, Jamshedpur FC, FC Goa, Kerala Blasters FC, Punjab FC, NorthEast United FC, Mumbai City FC and Mohammedan Sporting. Kolkata heavyweights Mohun Bagan Super Giant and East Bengal did not sign the letter. The clubs said the impasse will also impact India's readiness for international matches, adding that 'without a functioning league, our national team will be severely disadvantaged in upcoming AFC and FIFA tournaments'. They also said that without the ISL, they will not be able to play a minimum number of competitive matches for participating in continental competitions, thereby risking the suspension of Indian clubs from Asian Football Confederation (AFC) tournaments. On April 30, the top court reserved its verdict on the issue of finalisation of the AIFF draft constitution prepared by former apex court judge L Nageswara Rao. The draft constitution, prepared by Justice Rao on the top court's directions, proposed some radical changes, including a person holding the office for a maximum period of 12 years during his lifetime, subject to serving a maximum of two successive terms of four years each. While it said a four-year cooling-off period had to be observed after eight years as an office-bearer of the AIFF, it also mentioned that a person cannot remain a member of the sports body after attaining 70 years of age. According to the draft constitution, the executive committee of the AIFF would have 14 members who would be under the age and tenure restrictions. There will be one president, two vice-presidents (a man and a woman), one treasurer and 10 other members, the draft said. Of the 10 other members, five would be eminent players, including two women. The draft constitution also has provisions for the removal of the office-bearers, including the president, through a no-confidence motion, which the existing constitution of the AIFF does not have.
The Hindu
16 minutes ago
- The Hindu
Chennai tops the list of cities with households facing challenge accessing water
Households in Chennai face the biggest challenges in accessing water, with 17% depending on hand pumps and 14% depending on other sources, such as tanker trucks, which are by far the highest numbers in any city, according to a study conducted in 14 cities across India. Presenting and discussing the results of the Citizenship, Urban Governance and Inequality (CIUG) project, based on a comparative study of 14 Indian cities, including Chennai, and survey results from 31,803 households, Brown University Professor Patrick Heller said Chennai ranked low in basic service delivery while a large number of people rely on intermediaries for service delivery. The project examined the quality and coverage of basic services and how urban Indian citizens used their civil, political, and social rights in cities and found significant variation in the quality of basic services delivered across cities. 'Bhavnagar, Kochi and Vadodara had the best services, and Chennai and Mumbai had the worst.' 'If basic water access is generally not a problem in most cities, the quality of access clearly is. Most households either getting less than two hours a day or more than 23 hours a day. Overall, 43.4 % of households only get water for up to two hours daily, and 23% get more than 23 hours daily. There is, moreover, huge variation across cities. Kochi households have the best water service of all our cities,' he said. In some cities a large percentage of citizens only have buckets to rely on for storing water. The quality of sanitation also varies substantially by city. While Kochi, Vadodara, Ahmedabad, and Delhi provide good sanitation to the vast majority of their populations, a majority of households in Mumbai have compromised sanitation. In explaining the unequal distribution of services within cities, the study found that the primary determinant was housing type, which is our indicator for class. Indeed, not only does class have the strongest effects on basic service delivery, but it also has the highest explanatory power across all our models. Class determines the availability of public services in India's cities more than any other variable, the study said. With very few exceptions, social life in urban India is still heavily governed by caste. Social ties, as seen at least via friendships, are marked by strong bonding of intra-caste togetherness, as opposed to inter-caste networks. The prevalence of intra caste togetherness ties outweighed inter-caste networks. In the study only Chennai and Kochi are partial exceptions to this, with residents claiming that they have strong binding friendship with other caste as against intra-caste togetherness, the study said. It is clear that there are stark differences in access to sanitation by caste in cities across India. If only 12% of OBCs have compromised sanitation, that figure rises to 30% for SC and 33% for STs, the study said.
NDTV
24 minutes ago
- NDTV
Shubhanshu Shukla Shows Pics Of Earth From Space During Meet With PM Modi
New Delhi: Prime Minister Narendra Modi met Group Captain Shubhanshu Shukla this evening, a day after the astronaut returned to India after his historic visit to the International Space Station (ISS). PM Modi hosted Mr Shukla at the Prime Minister's residence in Delhi. PM Modi was seen welcoming Mr Shukla, who was wearing an ISRO astronaut's jacket, with a hug. He gifted the Axiom-4 mission patch to PM Modi and showed him pictures of the Earth taken from the International Space Station. He is the first Indian astronaut to travel to the International Space Station (ISS). "India is proud of his feat," posted PM Modi on X after the meeting. Had a great interaction with Shubhanshu Shukla. We discussed a wide range of subjects including his experiences in space, progress in science & technology as well as India's ambitious Gaganyaan mission. India is proud of his feat. @gagan_shux — Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) August 18, 2025 Mr Shukla was part of the Axiom-4 private space mission, which lifted off from Florida on June 25 and docked at the ISS on June 26. He returned to Earth on July 15. During the 18-day mission, Mr Shukla, along with astronauts Peggy Whitson (US), Slawosz Uznanski-Wisniewski (Poland), and Tibor Kapu (Hungary), conducted more than 60 experiments and 20 outreach sessions aboard the ISS. On Saturday, he posted on Instagram a photo of himself sitting on a plane. "As I sit on the plane to come back to India, I have a mix of emotions running through my heart. I feel sad leaving a fantastic group of people behind who were my friends and family for the past one year during this mission. I am also excited about meeting all my friends, family and everyone in the country for the first time post mission. I guess this is what life is -- everything all at once," read his post. "Having received incredible love and support from everyone during and after the mission, I can't wait to come back to India to share my experiences with all of you. Goodbyes are hard, but we need to keep moving in life. As my commander Peggy Whitson fondly says, 'the only constant in spaceflight is change'. I believe that applies to life as well," he said. Recalling the song from the Bollywood movie ' Swades ' that was on his playlist just before he embarked on the Axiom-4 mission from the US, Mr Shukla said, "I guess at the end of the day -' Yun hi chala chal rahi - jeevan gaadi hai samay pahiya '".
