10.30am: My friends and my partner made our way to Stadium Merdeka from Jalan Alor. We had holed ourselves up in a hotel nearby, to be close to Stadium Merdeka upon learning that KL was undergoing a lockdown.

NONE We had made elaborate plans on how we would slip into Stadium Merdeka undetected by the police ("frogs" as they were code-named that day).

10.50am: We had a hasty breakfast which was a cover to plan and to find out about available routes to the target (Stadium Merdeka). There were 5 of us and we knew it would be impossible to take obvious routes in a group.

We waited patiently for updates via Twitter which were being constantly updated about the events as they were unfolding.

Our plan was to slip into a group marching in large numbers to the stadium. We thought that PAS members would take the lead, because theirs was the greater number. So we waited patiently to hear about the mass movements of people in the surrounding areas.

11.15am: We discovered that Jalan Pudu and the area adjacent to it were relatively free of police blocks and arrests. We decided to make our way via Times Square to Jalan Pudu. Our aim was to get to behind Times Square and wait.

NONE 12.30am: We had lunch at a coffee shop while waiting for more news of the gathering crowds and by then, we heard of the mass arrests and police brutality. It sounded very disturbing; the numbers were up by 150 via Twitter . We kept following the tweets for an indication of the action nearby.

12.45pm: By instinct, we noticed the flow of people to the area behind Times Square and rushed to find out what was afoot. We heard loud chanting of "Bersih, Bersih". We knew then that we had come to the right place.

We also observed several patrol cars tailing the group which was at least 1,000 strong at this point of time and moving at an amazing pace.

We realised that they were DAP members from the Pudu branch. We put on our yellow trimmings (yellow headbands and wrist bands) and joined them.

NONE They were moving at incredible speed and it was quite a challenge keeping up with them. My partner's arm near came off his shoulder as I literally pulled and dragged him with the crowd.

The chanting was intoxicating and it was impossible not to be moved by these brave people who shared a common purpose to get to Stadium Merdeka!

I lost track of time by then as I had removed my watch from my hand and followed the ebb and flow of hundreds of human bodies moving in hypnotic rhythm.

There were natural leaders who were egging the crowd to move and we trusted them so naturally. The moving sea of determined human bodies converged right in front of Menara Maybank.

Determination faces tear gas fire

I was amazed at the sight of so many Malaysians of all identities united for a purpose. Their faces revealed joy and determination and everyone was armed with water bottles, salt and umbrellas. They seemed to be on a mission...we seemed to be in a mission well-aware of the implications.

NONE That was when the police started their volley of water cannon attacks. The spraying seemed endless and the crowd dispersed and regrouped quickly a little farther from harm.

After that, they started firing tear gas canisters directly into the crowds, though there was no provocation on their part. Slowly, the people recovered their spirit moved away from the police onslaught to Chinatown which led directly to the stadium

I had been praying for rain which would render the tear gas and water cannons impotent. Most of us were as well on that day. The rain drops increased and turned heavy but we marched with a renewed determination.

NONE Though soaked through, we were marching with arms intertwined towards our destination. We climbed up the slope leading to the stadium arm-in-arm, shoulder-to-shoulder singing 'Negaraku' proudly and loudly.

We moved up the slope and I suddenly found myself in the second row facing a barrier of barbed wire and police signboards. The rain was pouring down our faces as we stood meters away from the very human faces of policemen entrusted to block our way.

There were easily 3,000 Bersih 2.0 marchers compared to only 20 policemen and an a truck full of FRU personnel poised for action.

A strange feeling came over me and I realised I had lost any feelings of fear or doubt.

NONE That day, on that slope, I knew then that we were powerful enough to overcome these armed but fearful policemen. They were afraid of us! They were obviously at our mercy. They didn't look so brave or powerful wielding their weapons of terror and fear.

They were merely puppets strung to strings moving to according to instructions, while we were being driven by something more powerful than that... Something I truly cannot name. Love? Devotion? Passion?

Whatever it was, we started singing "Negaraku" spontaneously and tears started streaming down my face. I was not in control of my emotions. I never felt more love from my country than that particular moment.

NONE I locked eyes with one of the uniformed men and again in his eyes, I saw raw fear. He looked like the last thing that he wanted to do was to be there facing us.

Mat Sabu had arrived at the scene by then and started negotiating with the officer in charge who was pleasantly polite and very reasonable. I wasn't the least bit interested in the negotiation process that took place.

There was too much base rhetoric which paled in comparison to what I felt in my heart. Mat Sabu graciously conceded to the agreement that we would be there for another 10 minutes and then peacefully disperse.

Never at any point of time did I doubt that any one of us would disrespect the peaceful intent of the rally. I knew that we had come peacefully to express our love and concern for our nation.

We slowly dispersed from the slope, triumphant that we had won a moral victory. We had looked at fear in its eye and stood together in the face of great danger and harm to ourselves. I came down that slope that day knowing that I was powerful enough to be heard and seen by the powers that be.

Related stories:

Outwitting police tactics at Bersih rally

What gov't shoots tear gas at unarmed citizens?

Tear gas 'treat' at Tung Shin Hospital

For once, I did not feel alone

July 9: Exorcising the ghost of May 13

Family on trip of a historic nature

Why Daddy chose to stand with the crowd

Bersih rally was 1Malaysia in action

One Bersih Malaysia is here

Born-again Malaysian

March towards justice

Kid gloves? Najib, were you there?

Bersih births unity out of pain

Bersih 2.0: Arrested and sent to Pulapol

'Dataran Maybank has become my Tahrir Square'

Merdeka when I was six, true democracy at 60?

The standoff at Puduraya and Tung Shin Hospital

Bersih KL Sentral chronicle: The group that got away

Janarthani Arumugam works as a programme officer for Empower Malaysia. She is a feminist activist working with grassroots women to build their capacities as leaders. She strongly believes that we have to constantly test the limits of freedom in order to protect our rights, as well as create more inclusive democratic spaces for all.

This series relates eyewitness accounts of the Bersih 2.0 July 9 rally in Kuala Lumpur for clean and fair elections.