Dadi Bilkis From Shaheen Bagh Is Now Among Time's 100 Most Influential People In The World

The 82-year old dadi ‘Bilkis’ from Shaheen Bagh is now one of Time's 100 most influential people in the world. Bilkis was a familiar face at the protest against the Citizenship Amendment Act of 2019 at Shaheen Bagh. The octogenarian was one among the many women who would walk from their houses in the nearby localities and sit-in protest at Shaheen Bagh braving the Delhi winter. 

“Bilkis deserves recognition so the world acknowledges the power of resistance against tyranny,” said the Time's profile of Dadi Bilkis written by journalist Rana Ayyub. Ayyub further said that when she first met Bilkis, she sat in amid a crowd, surrounded by young women who were protesting with placards displaying verses of revolution. 

Bilkis from Shaheen Bagh is TIME magazine's hundred most influential of the year. It was an honour to write about herhttps://t.co/fhab9uQ0M4

— Rana Ayyub (@RanaAyyub) September 23, 2020

What You Should Know

• The 82-year old dadi ‘Bilkis’ from Shaheen Bagh has become one of Time's 100 most influential people in the world.
• She protested against the Citizenship Amendment Act of 2019 at Shaheen Bagh.
• Journalist Rana Ayyub said,“Bilkis deserves recognition so the world acknowledges the power of resistance against tyranny.”

Also Read: Delhi Police arrests Pinjra Tod activists from JNU over anti-CAA protest

During December 2019, the Parliament of India passed the Citizenship Amendment Act, 2019 (CAA).  The new act amends the 64-year-old Indian Citizenship law (Citizenship Act of 1955), which currently prohibits illegal migrants from becoming Indian citizens.

Also Read: Sadaf Jafar : Only Woman Arrested in Lucknow Anti-CAA Protest

The Protest

The protest at Shaheen Bagh, a neighbourhood in Delhi, gained popularity as more and more women stood up against the CAA. Many women-led protests also took place in other parts of the country such as Ahmedabad, Mumbai, Kolkata, Bangalore, and Chennai. You can read more from here 

About Shaheen Bagh Dadi ‘Bilkis’

Shaheen Bagh's Dadi ‘Bilkis’ moved to Delhi eight years ago, from a village in Uttar Pradesh. Her children and grandchildren were had moved to the capital many years ago, reported The Telegraph. Before the protest, her life was taken up by household chores. She was busy cooking, working on the farm, and bathing cattle the aforementioned report said. 

Also Read: Coronavirus Lockdown: Shaheen Bagh Cleared, Few Protestors Detained

On the Citizenship Amendment Act of 2019, Bilkis said, “I stepped out to protest because I saw our kids being assaulted. If there are no children, what do we do with the future?” Bilkis said that she was fighting for the idea of a plural India, reported The Mint.

The protestors at Shaheen Bagh sat in tents on one side of the road for months, demanding the central government to repeal the law. The protest paused only when the lockdown due to the pandemic came in place. 

Sagrika Giri is an intern with SheThePeople.TV