The Daily Dish | By Andrew Sullivan

The Daily Dish | By Andrew Sullivan: "A reader recalls a similar phenomenon - in the violence after the assasination of Indira Gandhi - as captured by Amitav Ghosh in 'The Ghosts of Mrs. Gandhi':

'And then something happened that I have never completely understood. Nothing was said; there was no signal, nor was there any break in the rhythm of our chanting. But suddenly all women in our group - and the women made up more than half of the group's numbers - stepped out and surrounded the men; their saris and kameezes became thin, fluttering barrier, a wall around us. They turned to face the approaching men, challenging them, daring them to attack. The thugs took a few more steps toward us and then faltered, confused. A moment later, they were gone.'"