Cairo's Tahrir Square may no longer be the lively center of Egypt's January 25 revolution, but its cry of freedom has found an echo in an Indian anti-corruption campaign.
Let's be clear there are no parallels between the situations in Egypt and India. Corruption is a serious problem in both countries, but let the comparisons end here.
Being the world's largest democracy, India provides ample space for protest against authority and the freedom of expression is guaranteed and protected by Article 19 of the Indian Constitution.
It is in this sense that Egyptians have become such an inspiration to the world, because they fought against a regime that was so entrenched in power for decades.
Tahrir - which means liberation - will always be synonymous with people power, and with the overpowering images of courage against a brutal system that fought back viciously to keep its grip on 80 million people.
Post-Hosni Mubarak's ouster, Tahrir also represented an eruption of uncontrolled joy, and even those who were not there savored the emotion vicariously.
So, when I began to read references to Tahrir Square from Indians online, it was a reminder of what is possible through the collective power of people.
The mention of Tahrir in India soon became controversial amid objections that it was wrong to compare India's vibrant democracy to Egypt's dictatorship under Mubarak.
In short, what is happening in India is this: Veteran social activist Anna Hazare is on an indefinite fast demanding radical government action against widespread corruption and Indians have enthusiastically expressed support for him.
Actress Gul Panag, who went to the Jantar Mantar protest site in Delhi described the atmosphere as "electrifying", and asked more people to "come forward" if the place was to become India's Tahrir Square.
Rajdeep Sardesai, a popular television anchor, said in a tweet: "Off to Jantar Mantar. Is it India's Tahrir Square in a manner of speaking?"
Another television journalist, Barkha Dutt, said she loved the fact that Hazare's campaign "has stirred us out of our passive acceptance of things" but she was not "so charmed by comparisons to Egypt."
Her argument is clear that with all its faults India is a thriving democracy and the Hazare campaign is directed at cleaning up the system and strengthening democratic institutions.
It was surprising to see so many arguments on Twitter in favor and against the Tahrir reference. And it must be said that both sides are right in their view.
But the spirit in which Tahrir is cited in India must make Egyptians proud of what they have achieved in their struggle for democracy.
"More than anything Egypt was about the power of the people," actress Panag said, adding that "it's when people have had enough - of anything."
India is not the only flawed democracy where we can hear the echoes of Tahrir, in the even more flawed democracy, the United States, protesters have used Egyptian analogies.
In Wisconsin, pro-labour protesters threatened to "go Egypt on their asses" against the Republican moves to cut the power of trade unions. They also carried a sign reading "Welcome to Tahrir Square" and called their governor "Hosni Mubarak".
Let's hope Egypt's military rulers would acknowledge that their citizens have infused people's movements with a new spirit beyond Cairo.
