While Jarange Patil advised women not to travel the distance, I still showed up to express support,” said Vaishali Nairnavre, a 44-year-old resident of Majalgaon in Beed district.

Vaishali was a part of the throngs of Maratha Morcha protesters that demonstrated across South Mumbai on Friday. While the crowd was dominated by men from various parts of the state, only a handful of women made it to the protests. Vaishali, who works as a staffer with an NGO, is one of them. “We travelled to Mumbai in a vehicle and have carried enough food and resources to keep us going for weeks. This time, there’s no going back until we get our reservation. It’s a little tougher on women since we have to use unclean lavatories at stations and hotels, but I am not complaining,” said Vaishali.

Vaishali Nairnavre