Why the signboards at Women's March spoke louder than words

It wasn't about supporting Hillary Clinton. It wasn’t about trying to hog all the limelight. It wasn’t about a paid political agenda, funded by rich Democrats. No. It was a spontaneous protest against a man who stands for all that is going wrong in a country that could until recently claim to be the “greatest democracy in the world”.

The inauguration of the 45th President of the United States of America somehow found itself eclipsed by a women’s movement, whose sheer size is nothing short of historical. The Women’s March took place across the globe, protesting against oppression of women, racism, Islamophobia, sexual assault, the rise of alt-right neo-Nazis and the attempt at stifling the liberal media.

Women’s march started out as “a Facebook post by a Hawaii retiree" and quickly became "an unprecedented international rebuke of a new president" that packed cities large and small — from London to Los Angeles, Paris to Park City, Utah, Miami to Melbourne, Australia.

Yes. Someday, in the future, people shall look back upon this day as the beginning of a revolution.

The campaign was not only the first step towards a world that is more egalitarian, just and progressive; it was also a visual spectacle. [Photo: Reuters]

The campaign was not only the first step towards a world that is more egalitarian, just and progressive; it was also a spectacle in bringing back progressive and inclusive politics to the American context. A tide of happy, angry, determined patriots, trying to take back their freedom and democracy from the pudgy hands of a billionaire demagogue, whose agenda seems to be hinging on white Christian supremacy, and a sea of pink hats and rather imaginative signs: everyone was trying to reclaim their identity.

And while there have been some reports of rioting, vandalism and violence, ironically in the Democrat-heavy areas, the majority of this peaceful protest seemed as full of wit as it was with anger. The signs both tell the story of what this world has come to and also show the way to wriggle out of this new legitimisation of widescale oppression.

Because being different does not mean being any less

The only way to tackle the toxic Islamophobia, Trump wants to spread

These signs are supercalifragilisticexpialidocious

This anger was not a Stranger Thing than the presidency itself

This gentle but scary passive aggressive sign

You don’t have to be able to write, to be able to protest

Because in Hermione we trust

You can’t have a new Mad King in real life without a tonne of Game of Thrones shade being thrown at you

Things are THAT bad

Gandalf has some important sentiments to express

The right way to go about it

Steve Buscemi approves

Even the pups know how important it is

And the little kids

Uh oh!

Don’t poke the Mean Girls, you shall pay dearly

It's a revolution, and it has only just begun.

Also read - Women marching for united America of love should teach Trump a lesson