“Put People First” G20 Demonstration
March 28, 2009
Yesterday, a huge march took place in central London in response to the G20 Summit which is being held next week. By huge, it seemed a lot bigger than the Bush protests a few years ago, and those were massive. However, officials reckon around 40,000 people took part.
There’s been a lot of talk about the G20 Summit, mostly centering around possible riots that could take place. Of course, the media loves to sensationalise these things, and the protest was incredibly tame. So tame in fact, that I struggled to find many interesting things or people to take pictures of :P
Still, the protest was headline news which can only be a good thing. After all, the purpose is to raise awareness.
This man makes regular appearances at protests like here in 2007. He was out again with a lovely positive message for us all.
This man sat at the bus stop and fiddled with a radio for ages, tuning it until he got to a classical station. He then sat with a cigarette, listening to his music acting totally oblivious to the movement around him. Legend. I don’t know if he realised the road was closed to traffic and therefore no buses would be arriving any time soon. Oops.
People congregated around Embankment and Temple Stations where the demos began.
Two of the four “Horsemen of the Apocalypse” who are part of a coalition of anarchists, communists and green activists. Collectively, the operation is known as the G20 Meltdown and they will be out again next week to demonstrate in the financial district.
The protest had a heavy police presence. This is what the front of the protest was like, which I’ve never seen before.
Aww :D
So, next week in City (financial district) we’ve been told to dress down at work, cancel meetings and people have also been advised not to go into work. Major disruption is expected, but we shall have to see if all the media hype materialises into reality. All this talk of riots.. if we were in France I’d believe the hype!
For more information on the G20 Summit – http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/G20_industrial_nations
Information on the protests – http://www.guardian.co.uk/business/blog/2009/mar/23/online-guide-to-g20-protests
Holi – March 10/11, 2009
Mumbai, India
So I’m now back from Mumbai 
Wow. I don’t think I’ll ever get bored of that place. After 5 trips I think that much is obvious :P
I planned this trip so that I’d be in India during Holi, also known as the Festival of Colour, where people cover each other in coloured dye. A day before this, however, people make bonfires (which I only found out on the day), which symbolises the burning of Holika, a mythological Hindu demoness who was killed by the god Brahma.
Throughout Mumbai the air was filled with thick smoke, as people lit bonfires. Communities came together to build big ones, like this one in the Worli district.
The effigy is of the lone surviving terrorist who was caught after last year’s November attacks in Mumbai. The text has the name of the terrorist, Ajmal Kasab, with ‘Taliban’ written on the grenade.
It was 45 feet tall, and I found it incredible that this was to be lit surrounded by high-rise wooden buildings, only a few feet away! Then again, Indians are crazy. Safety comes second to celebrations and tradition!
I took these pictures around 9pm, and the crowd was just starting to gather, as well as media crews.
On the other side of the effigy, residents were preparing flowers and incense for rituals.
Sticking with the theme of terrorism, this rocket, placed on a string, led to the effigy and lit it at midnight. I didn’t hang around until then but I heard later on the news that buildings caught fire from it and people got injured. I tried to look for pictures of the effigy alight but haven’t succeeded in finding any yet. To be honest, I can’t imagine anyone being able to be remotely close to it without getting singed.
Along an adjacent street a much smaller bonfire was prepared, and the children there wanted their picture with me :D
Every street had numerous bonfires. An aerial view of the city would have been pretty cool.
The next day celebrations began and dye-throwing commenced! Yay!
I went to Juhu Beach, which is a popular destination for people as they can wash the dye off in the sea. Convenient, although the effect on the environment is questionable! Still, there was nothing like the mess during Ganesh Chaturthi last year.
I can’t decide which one I prefer..
People playing Kabaddi, a popular South Asian game:
People clambered on the walls of a hotel to get a glimpse of festivities taking part in a private function.
Hm. The beach was more fun!
I think these boys were burying a random drunkard. Like most people, they were eager to pose!
This dog started following me after I gestured to her. An hour later she was still walking alongside me, so I bought her some food in an attempt to distract her. She gobbled it up and still managed to catch up with me.
Holi was so much fun, and I somehow managed to save my camera from turning bright red. The same couldn’t be said of me.
Two days later, I still had a yellow tint on my face. Lovely.
Hinduism is so full of mystery, stories and colours. No matter what your religious stance, you cannot deny how vibrant its festivals are, and if they involve celebrating and dancing on the beach, I’m there!
