The month of June brings with it new possibilities and fresh perspectives, not because the word “June” stands for the Roman goddess of “youth” but because of what happens in it, i.e., summer vacation! Kids universally look forward to this coveted break from monotonous studies and at last enjoy in the bliss of two exciting and “homework-free” months.
Similarly, at the tender age of 13, another girl was hopeful of a “summer of her dreams”, in a new house which she had recently moved into with a round staircase on which she was excited to read all her books. The girl was academically gifted and didn’t worry much about excelling in her studies as it came easily to her but what really worried her was her height! Yes, you read right, it was her height that irked her since she wasn’t very gifted in that department. So as all concerned Indian parents would say, “Cycling is the key to great height”, her folks too, told her to go cycling in her neighborhood along with her little sister. She was particularly excited for this as she had just received a brand-new maroon colored bicycle from her parents and was itching to ride it. In the span of a few days, these cycling sessions became a daily ritual for both sisters, which they loved.
But one fateful day, the girl decided to go a bit early so as to spend some alone time with her sister as they had gotten into fight. Unfortunately, it was a very dry and hot afternoon, scorching to be exact, which meant fewer people were outside, but the girls saw a silver lining that they would have the roads to themselves and could race freely. So, they decided to go for it and midway through the cycling session, the girl noticed a man driving a scooter, following the same path as her and all the while making short pit stops to look around. She wondered, “what a pitiful condition he is in, so lost that he can’t even find his way back even on a perfectly straight and simple road. She felt pity for him, combined with a strong sense of laughter, but never could a 13-year old ever expect what was to happen next. While thinking and secretly laughing about it, she made a turn on the road to follow the usual path and was just about to tell her sister what she thought of the man, when many things happened all at once. One minute she was turning her head back and the next she saw a hand emerge out of nowhere, trying to touch her chest. There was a sudden silence in her brain, a chill emanated down her spine and she couldn’t comprehend what was happening. Not knowing what to do, she just stopped cycling because her legs wouldn’t move, she was absolutely frozen, physically as well as in time. When the cycle stopped, the hand disappeared and she swiftly looked up to see the culprit, only to find the same man on the scooter who she thought was “lost”! She couldn’t believe her eyes and cursed herself for not picking up the signs, but how could she as nothing of this sort had ever happened to her, how can somebody prepare oneself for something which they didn’t even know was possible! She felt shocked, scared, angry and disgusted at the same time because the man even had the audacity to turn around and smirk, as if to say, “mission accomplished”! Her younger sister came to her support and asked, “what happened didi? Are you alright?” and the girl didn’t know how to answer because when she finally understood the gravity of the situation and realized the presence of tears streaming down her face, she decided that she definitely was not alright. She had tried to follow him or memorize the number plate of the scooter or even shout at him, but she couldn’t, she just couldn’t because it felt like the world was closing in on her. The girl somehow reached her home and stormed into the house while struggling to breathe. Her mother came running to her aide and asked her what happened and why she was crying, and all she could say at the moment was, “I will never go cycling again.” All her excitement of riding a shiny new maroon bicycle and enjoying the wind on her face had crumbled to dust.
You might wonder, what happened next? Did she really stop cycling forever? Was the culprit caught? etc. Well, unfortunately the culprit wasn’t caught as the girl couldn’t remember the number plate figures and not even his face because majority of it was covered by a helmet. But fortunately, the girl overcame the incident and came out the other end of her ordeal and started cycling again because of the support and love she got from her family. They had understood her, gave her space and had made a point of telling her that it was NOT her fault at all but of a “sick and perverted mind”. Although this story has somewhat of a positive ending, but it is depressing to think that this man might still be out there, continuing to defile the souls and not just the bodies of females, because this is not a fictional story depicting the grave situation of our society but a real life experience of the person writing this. To tell the people reading this, how men get away with crimes of such magnitude on a daily basis. This story is a message to all the young girls out there, like the one in this story, that you can overcome incidents like these and not let them cloud your life by arming yourself with the fact that it is NOT your fault and that you should try your best to punish the perpetrators of such crimes by any way possible.
This sexual assault awareness month, let us all try and understand what goes in the mind of young girls when something that they should never experience happens to them and think about what we as a society can do to make this world a better and safer place for our mothers, daughters and sisters.
Nandini Sharma
1st year
B.Sc.(H) Biological Sciences
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