Gandhi Jayanti 2026: How Delhi's Women Are Protesting Against Violence Through Modern Satyagraha

Chart paper, sketch pens and a lot to say. That is all it took for hundreds of women in Delhi to fill the streets over the last few days. No stones, no violence, just placards held high and voices that refused to stay quiet. And as the country marks Gandhi Jayanti on 2nd October, it is hard not to see the link. What these women are doing has a name, and Gandhi Ji gave it to us more than a century ago: Satyagraha.

What Is Happening On Delhi's Streets?

Delhi University students have taken to the streets with posters and placards, demanding accountability in cases of violence and questioning the restrictions placed on women in the name of safety. What began as separate protests at individual women's colleges has grown into a wider student movement. Students from various colleges in Delhi took part in the march, which came after the alleged gangrape of a 17-year-old girl inside a park in the capital.

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The placards are what everyone is talking about. "We are the granddaughters of the witches you couldn't burn." "Cutie nahi, kranti hoon, apne rights jaanti hoon." Some are funny, some are angry and some are just plain honest. The humour, satire, and familiar Delhi expressions are a big reason these protests have drawn so much attention.

So, What Exactly Is Satyagraha?

The word comes from two Sanskrit words, satya meaning truth and agraha meaning to hold on firmly. Satyagraha simply means holding on to the truth. Mahatma Gandhi used it for a kind of protest where you stand up against something wrong without hurting anyone, not even the person doing the wrong. You refuse to follow an unfair rule, you accept whatever comes with it, and you keep your dignity intact.

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Why Did Mahatma Gandhi Follow Satyagraha?

Gandhi Ji believed that violence only gives birth to more violence. If you hit back, the fight just becomes about who is stronger. But when you stay peaceful and still refuse to give up, the other side has no excuse to paint you as a threat. It also holds up a mirror to them. The goal was never to defeat the opponent, but to change the situation, and ideally their thinking too.

It also took far more courage than people imagine. Staying calm while being shouted at or pushed around is not weakness. It needs a spine, and that is exactly what Mahatma Gandhi wanted people to build.

He had great faith in women too. He often said women were natural satyagrahis because of their strength to endure and sacrifice. Thousands of women joined the freedom movement, many of them stepping out of their homes for the first time.

Satyagraha Takes Modern Turn

Look at the Delhi protests again with this in mind, and the connection is clear. Gandhi used the spinning wheel, the salt and the long walk to make people look. These young women are using handwritten posters and their own voices, and they are doing it together. The method has changed, but the idea has not: you do not have to be violent to be heard, and you do not have to be quiet to be peaceful.

Gandhi Jayanti is not only about garlanding a statue or posting a quote. It is a reminder that holding on to the truth, calmly and without backing down, but choosing the right medium can help go a long way, as women today are choosing to stand for what is right.

(Image credits: Instagram/Pexel)

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