When the feds stopped me and my mate before even reaching London's Guildhall, I was thinking damn! Things are really going to get crazy today...
It was an ungodly 8am start for Ctrl.Alt.Shifters, who congregated at St. Paul's station to prep for our '50 Million Women Missing' demonstration. Most of the 50-strong group got geared up in black gowns and ghostly masks; the purpose was to represent the millions of women in India with no voice, no say, being unjustly killed off, either through disputed dowries, or neglect and starvation from birth - seeing as many baby girls are considered an economic burden in India.
Once ready, we marched with banner flying high towards the Great Hall at Guildhall to interrupt a lush champagne breakfast where some of the most successful women in the city were sitting down to enjoy their wealth and sip Cristal - we came as a youth movement to remind them of the missing women of India, especially the reps from Barclays and Credit Suisse (both major players in India) whose companies should be pushing the Indian government to be held accountable for their nation's lost females, a system that needs to enforce existing laws that in turn might actually protect Indian women, as oppose to forgetting those getting beaten, murdered and buried without a whisper.
Half way there, and the police blocking my path seemed a bad omen, but after reassuring them we were doing this silent demo without intentions of a ruckus, we stepped around the curious coppers, and eventually reached our designated spot, right outside the banquet.
Slightly to my surprise, as we stood as a tight pack of ghostly figures, the women gladly taking our leaflets heading into the breakfast room explained they were attending to celebrate women's role in society and around the world. Others stopped to admire and learn more about our nightmarish display, whilst Janqui Mehta, a rep from anti-domestic violence organisation Refuge said: "I really admire Ctrl.Alt.Shift, and the fact you are raising awareness of the women of India. I knew about problems over there, as we are supporting the same cause, but I had no idea about the '50 million' statistic."
Unfortunately, Barclays and Credit Suisse didn't come out to play, or state their influence in India, as at 11am the ladies seeped out into their cabbies with goodie bags and flowers in hand. I didn't get the interview I waited for with the bank cash-flashers, but Janqui reassured me our cause had been announced at the banquet and most - if not all - attendees were on the same side, in pursuing equal rights and respect for women on a global level.
So no invasion, no crashing of the party, no arrests... it wasn't crazy, but then I guess it didn't need to be. It wasn't that kind of protest, we sent a clear message, we were heard and reminded the big players and all bypassers that the women of India are a group that needs to be counted at a time where climate change, credit crisis and glasses of bubbly are taking precedent.