Dear Tight Slap!!!

Dear Tight Slap,

              

I had never thought that a shy, reserved, withdrawn, introvert, which I used to be, would be writing a letter to you, complimenting you like the most needed tool for all the women getting harassed on daily basis, both at the workplace and at home also.

Though I have seen as well as encountered many deserving candidates to receive you, it took me four long decades to transform from a timid, isolated, wallflower to a strong woman who has made it her life's goal to inspire people by my articles, soothing behavior to enhance healing of the broken and shattered ones and inculcating much-needed self-confidence into the ones facing trouble to say ' NO' to abuse and harassment

Let me describe a single incident, where I had the opportunity and courage to deliver a silent but impactful version of you (dear Tight Slap) for the first time, which is much more painful than your physical version.

Among the various WhatsApp groups created nowadays, in a certain group consisting of college time friends, cheap, vulgar, suggestive commentaries were going on openly among the male members of the group, about the classmate girls as well as senior and junior girls, all of us being middle-aged people with family and children of our own and being respectable professions.

I have been raising my voice since day one when these things started, while all other ladies and also good-natured respectful gentlemen in the group preferred to ignore these and stay invisible so that I was being the butt of mockery as ' auntyji', 'teacher' and similar words for raising my voice against male chauvinism.

A few of our women friends also enjoyed these leud commentaries as compliments and participated with those men in their cheap gossips about themselves and others. I tell you, women are the major cause of discrimination against women in our society!

Last weekend, this phenomenon crossed all the limits when a reserved, good-natured, working lady friend in our group had to endure many suggestive commentaries by those men, intoxicated with alcohol and/or whatever else, without any control over their tongues.

Being a close friend of mine for a long, she requested me to speak up for her and was thinking of leaving the group. But I told her," Why should you leave the group??? It's the culprits who should feel ashamed for their inappropriate conduct and hide their faces!!

Enough of only me raising my voice against this nuisance. If the other women can't speak up for themselves and practice zero-tolerance against harassment and any other form of abuse, then they deserve to suffer!!!"

My friend did gather up courage at last and gave them an earful and I fully supported her and added some more so that they had to apologize in the open forum and many others joined us in voicing their negative opinion against their inappropriate comments.

I consider it an achievement...do you???

And I owe this transformation of myself into a stronger and more confident version of myself to my supportive family and especially to motherhood.