India, Aug. 31 -- The city's busiest precincts turned into dormitories and kitchens on Saturday, as more than 25,000 Maratha protesters who had poured into the city for the quota agitation settled into an indefinite stay. With activist Manoj Jarange-Patil's hunger strike at Azad Maidan entering its second day, demonstrators spread across roads and railway stations-urinating, bathing, cooking, and sleeping in public spaces-transforming south Mumbai into a site of both protest and daily life.

By morning, groups were seen cutting onions, roasting chapatis, and stirring khichdi on portable stoves connected to gas cylinders. "We made poha this morning," said Vijay Pawar, 24, who had travelled from Beed with 100 others. "Lunch was arranged by ...