Being 26

My Lucky Stars. I know I would have been gang raped that day in Mathikere, one of the most crowded areas, if I hadn't rushed to my car & locked myself in & driven off at TOP SPEED. My brother & I had been to a restaurant a few lanes past my house. We parked in a dark by-lane opposite an old building, a hostel. There was rush in the hotel too & too many men. My bro feeling protective and did not want me to stand in the Queue. We decided one would get the food and the other would pick the car and come back to the hotel. As I was walking towards my car, I felt a groups of guys walking into the same lane as I was. I heard footsteps behind me. The Footsteps started gaining speed. I could hear them now & understand a few words of malayalam. "Lets catch the deer". Alarm bells rang in my head, strategies to escape the group of perverts. If I had run, they would instantly catch me. Hence I picked pace gradually and rushed to my car, sat in and locked my doors immediately. Started the vehicle. By the the guys had caught up and come to the car. They tried opening my door & started banging on the window & top. I just drove at top speed & might even have injured the foot of the person trying to open the door. It was a scare I still cannot forget. An advantage of a few seconds saved my life that day.

Action Shero Anonymous

Place: Bangalore

Being 4

Calcutta. Maidan. February 27th. 8pm. My mother and I were really excited about the elaborate book fair that took place every spring. We entered this stall of books on art. Ever since i was a child, those books appealed to me. So engrossed in one of the books, I failed to notice the presence of a middle aged man (my guess would be 40ish) too close for comfort. Suddenly, this man started commenting on a human anatomy book, few decibels above normal, as if to grab my attention. He said things like "Bah, ki shundor...ei shober-i toh dorkar". (Wow, so beautiful, only all this is important). I looked at what he was commenting and was highly disturbed to see him staring at a rendering of a nude woman. I kept glancing through other books, as it was the ONLY way by which i could ignore what had just happened. Soon enough i could feel something poking me. I swiftly turned to find that very man rubbing his erected genitals on me. I was in a state of shock and my mind was blank. Somehow my instincts made me run to my mom who was just five steps away. I couldn't explain to her anything at that moment but just pointed out to that man. I don't know what she understood, what she assumed but she guarded me from that man and we left that stall.

Shockingly enough, that man followed us to the next stall without our notice, and this time he tried the same thing on my mom. Both of us petrified, left that place immediately and were too scared to even console each other.

Action Shero Anonymous

Place: Kolkata

Being 14

It was the day my parents first allowed me to go the mall and watch a movie with my friends without a chaparon. We were very excited with the new freedom that we had gotten. We watched the movie and then decided to hang out in the mall for a while until my friends car came to pick us up. As we went from shop to shop we realized that a man was following us. We were really scared because this was our first time out alone. He came close to us and in a really creepy way said 'Hi girls'. We looked at each other and started walking away. When we got a message that the car had arrived we started running towards the car as the man followed. Luckily we got into the car fast. It was an extremely scary experience. After that experience my friends and i realized why our parents hesitated so much to send us alone. It was after that day that i became conscious of eve-teasing.

Action Hero Saasha

Place: Bangalore

Being 17

My cousin and I were 17, and over summer in Mysore, learning to play the guitar. We used to walk to the teacher's home and back, around 4 in the afternoon. One day while enroute, a lot of guys started following us, calling rude remarks, whistling, making obscene sounds. We ignored them and went ahead to the teacher's home. An hour later, when we emerged to head home, we were shocked - the place was surrounded by over 15 college age boys, just lying in wait for us to come out. The situation was so bad, we had to wait inside for almost 2 hours, then call my uncle to escort us home.

Action Shero Priya

Place: Mysore, India

Being 12

A 12-13 year old boy stalked, faced me, put his hand forward to feel me up and said 'Do you know that I can rape you?'

Action Shero Anonymous

Place: Bangalore, India

Being 12

I was twelve years old when the threat of sexual violence became a concrete reality in my pre adolescent life. As I was walking home from school one day in Athens, GA, a well dressed, middle aged, white man walked alongside me for several blocks attempting to lure me into his car with promises to drive me where I was going because "a little girl so beautiful should never walk alone." It was only when the man leaned close to my face and stuck his tongue into my ear--a disappointing penetration substitute, no doubt--that I finally found the courage to run. I never told anyone what had happened, but the way this incident changed me was fundamental: I no longer had the luxury of feeling like I was safe when an unknown man waylaid me on the street.

Action Shero Mandy Van Deven
Place : Athens . GA. United States of America