Dorothy Fernandes

This year, International Women's Day coincided with Holi, India's festival of colors, and we women on the periphery gathered to celebrate our joy at being positive contributors to our society.

Indian society is undergoing a second freedom struggle, challenged once again to preserve the country's ethos and rich diversity, and to uphold the values enshrined in our constitution.

As Mahatma Gandhi showed India and the world, nonviolence is the weapon that can win — that can conquer and take us forward. Violence will only breed hatred and enmity. Our world needs this nonviolent movement.

In a country like India, where women are subjugated, it is urgent to teach young girls to keep their dignity intact and not fall prey to false promises.

The acquittal of Bishop Franco Mulakkal was disappointing to many of us. I feel the need for speaking up in defense of our sisters, and sounding a wake-up call for us as women religious.

It appears that the ones who clean and make our city what it is have no right to live in it, simply because they do not have the means to acquire a piece of land and find shelter. Where do we even begin?

The joy in the air from celebrating the Resurrection was not long-lasting: We began to get news of many religious testing positive for COVID-19. When you lose cherished people, what hurts most is knowing that you'll never hear those voices again.

About six of us from Bihar, Uttar Pradesh and Jharkhand states travelled some 1,000 kilometers to sit with the farmers as a mark of solidarity. It was for me a truly spiritual experience.

Women in India are saying, "There is a new awakening; we want our children to live in peace, harmony and brotherhood as we have lived for all these years. We are out because we love our land, we love our country and we want to safeguard our Indian Constitution."

In India, in the name of development, the government is simply "evicting" people who live in substandard housing, leaving them with no shelter. But those people are part of communities, and local women leaders are trying to assert their rights.