To be true, I was a little hesitant about writing this story and sharing it, then I thought about writing the story and keeping my identity anonymous but then I thought why should I when I am not the one at fault in all that happened with me.
It was my college tour, we were returning via train, this incident happened with me when we were about to arrive the Nagpur Station. I and my friend went to the washroom in the train, I was standing outside the washroom waiting for my friend. A man passed me by and he touched me in a very wrong way (on my chest), I went blank for some seconds, it took me a while to understand what just happened and then he tried to touch me again but this time I pushed his hand away. I shouted at the man, 2-3 people standing there asked me what happened but till that time, the man had vanished from my sight. I really got very scared after the whole incident. In my mind, I thought “let it be”. I and my friend were returning to our seats but then a little voice in my head told me, “Why let it be? That person did wrong to you, how dare he did something like that to you and how can you not do anything about it?” I listened to that voice and I changed my mind. I asked one of my juniors to come along with me in order to teach that person a lesson. I told my junior whatever happened with me and I told him to catch that person as soon as we see him. We were searching for that man from one compartment to another. I thought that now we won’t be able to find that person and I should have taken some action at the very moment when he was right in front of me. But then suddenly we saw him and when he saw us he started running but he could not run far. We caught him, my junior and the people around started beating him after knowing what that man did to me. I wanted to slap that man very hard too but people told me to stay away. The people around us took a stand for me and handed that guy to the police when we arrived Nagpur station.
I thought that not many people would help me but believe me when you decide to stand against the wrong, many people will come for your help and will help you to right the wrong done to you. I am really very thankful to every person who helped me in that situation.
That day I became my own hero because I overcame a fear not many people can. I stood for myself and I am really proud of it.
I was hesitant before writing this story because we are raised in a society where whenever this kind of something happens with a girl then the girl is thought to be the one at fault, this is the reason why most of the girls keep their mouth shut when they come across these kinds of incidents, fearing that they would be raised fingers at. Many people whom I told about this incident would have thought in their minds that, “oh, she must be wearing something revealing” or “she would have given some signals to the man, that’s why he did so”.
Many of my “literate and well educated” friends even asked me if I was wearing anything revealing and I told them that I was wearing a full sleeve, high neck T-shirt. But their questions really didn’t bother me because I know I was not the one wearing cheap and vulgar clothes but it was the cheap and vulgar mentality of the man who did that cheap act.
No matter what a person wears, no one has the right to touch them against their will. It’s never about the kind of clothes a person wears but it’s always about the mentality a person’s mind wears.
Every second person (especially girls) in their life have been in a similar situation but a fear of being questioned to and raised fingers at, have many times stopped them to take some actions against the person who did wrong to them.
I know it’s hard done than said but I will just say that if unfortunately in future you encounter this kind of situation, then no matter how much scared you are, do not for a second hesitate to go against that person who tries to do wrong with you because if you didn’t do so then every time you remember the incident, you will just regret not standing for yourself and fighting the wrong. You will wish to go back into time and slapping that person but that won’t be possible and living with that regret will frustrate you more and more every time you will think of the incident.
You just need to be strong for the moment when your mind will tell you to “let it be” but do not listen to your mind, take the right decision that moment by standing for yourself and I ensure you, that day you will become your own savior, your own Hero.
Submitted By – Aditi Bhandari
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