Action Hero from South Mumbai

Me and a friend (both women) came home late one night after a film.. a male friend dropped us till the gate since it was late.. around 1 am. The gate was locked and our watchman was asleep. After some knocking and shouting, he finally opened his eyes and lying on his bed he told us "badi jaldi hai kya" (in a big hurry?). we ignored it the first time. but he still didn't move. we shouted out to him again, he got up this time, came to the gate and looked at us demeaningly through the bars and said "badi jaldi hai kya". Our male friend told him to talk properly and the watchman started abusing him. We realised he was drunk. He started accusing us of coming late in the night often and how he was doing a favour to us by opening the gate for us every time. basically he had 'judged' us for being the kind of girls who go out late and being drunk, he had no control over his tongue and all that he perhaps thought of us in his sick head, became vocalised. A verbal fight ensued.

The presence of a male friend eventually did help, but there were other things we did which contributed in dealing with the situation -

1. shouting out LOUD that he was drunk, so that we would wake up people and bring attention to the fact that he's drunk

2. threatening to call the police

3. next day, complained to our landlord

4. i also went and asked another watchman what this guy's full name was and didn't explain why i was asking for his full name. I wonder if that scared him off that maybe i was going to complain to the police... coz he didn't show up for two days after.

5. i continue to go out at night after that, just to show that he doesnt intimidate me

Time: 1 a.m.

Action Hero felt judged, anger, fear, unsafe, helpless

Location: South Mumbai

Age: 28 years

Action Hero Shria

This Incident happened in the gym in which i work out. There are mirrors all over the place and one can exactly see as to what others are doing. I was sitting on the cycle and working out when I noticed that a man's eyes were keenly following the movement of my breasts and I could see him staring at the outline of my bra which was visible because of my sweat.

The next day, I wore the Blank Noise t-shirt that says What are you staring at in Kannada. That still didn't make him stop looking at me. So, I decided to put posters of BN at the gym...I put it and someone tore it off in a few hours. Hence, I had to execute my plan 3 which was to distribute the letters (the letters that contain the action hero stories)....I carried around 4 letters with me and gave it to that guy. He was happy to receive letters from me and thought it was inviting. But once he started to read them, his expression changed entirely. I walked away.

The next day onwards, he stopped coming to the gym or maybe he chose a different time to work out.

Action Hero Shria felt happy!

current age-19

age at the time of experience-19

location- Bangalore

thank you Blank Noise.

Action Hero Playlist

Is there a song that puts you in the Action Hero mood? Let's build an action hero playlist.

It could be a song that uplifts you. A song that you like to hum when you take a walk. A song that reflects your attitude. A song that inspires you to take on an attitude. Any song that your Action Hero song. Send it! Let's SING!

If it's on youtube- send us the link. We'l add your name to the list below and link it to the song. if your action hero song isn't online, do write down the lyrics OR better still sing it yourself/ upload it and email the link.

Action Heroes playlist:

1. Monica Mody
2. Amruta Mehta
3. Annie Zaidi
4. yours?

Action Hero Sreyoshi Dey

Yet another day of pushing shoving nudging…every morning, the whole process passes in the picture window of my mind. Instances caught live in the camera of my eyes, and featured every day of my life. Sad truth!

I sat up. Moved out. Out on to the streets. Usual day, usual work. Running after a bus, get down and change for an auto and then run for the 10:30 am lecture. Easy life. Hard going.

Starts from the bus. They push against me, and I can say nothing. Anything said meets the reply, “it’s a crowded bus, where do you expect me to stand?”, and a leering smile follows. I box the man a hundred times in my imagination, in reality, am able to do nothing. Auto-the same old nudging, the same old pushing…no amount of bag and elbow can protect my dignity. I have given up.

OR have I? I have gotten tired of putting up this act of ignorance and adjustment.

Date: 4 years back

Place: Public bus

Event: I punched the middle aged man hard in the stomach, screamed myself hoarse, and caught him by the collar. A man old enough to my father, to have a family, and yet so shamelessly pushing against a young girl, considering her HELPLESS!

Result: The Man rushed off the bus without an appeal or apology. Co-passengers stared at me, all surprised – I don’t think they were surprised at my courage, but where surprised at my audacity to raise my voice.

Reaction: I was left shaking with anger and fear. It was my first time. I had finally found my voice. The incident re-instilled faith in my own self, the faith that I had lost since the age of six when I was first molested in a Public Transport.

Oath: Will not let go of any single person who hurts my dignity and self respect. I won’t adjust, I won’t ignore. I will fight back. Every time that I fight back, I know I will also ensure the safety of alteast two more women who would have been the next victims otherwise.

Action Hero Chitra

It was the day when I was scheduled to pick up my insurance money and buy a new phone. Naturally happy, I began to look forward to that part of the day. I got back from my university in a bus and started to walk home from the bus stop. I was wearing a red back-pack and long, up to the mid of my thigh, boy t-shirt, jeans and shoes. I was walking on the side of the road when I saw an old man walk a little ahead of me, he was almost my father’s age and wore a white collared t shirt and white shorts. What was odd about him was that he kept turning his balding head around and staring right at my chest by the 2nd time he did I looked down at my own chest to see if there was something written on my t shirt that he was trying to read (like a message t-shirt) but it was an almost plain grey t shirt with no print whatsoever on the chest. I grew uneasy, but the next time he turned back to look I asked him. “What are you looking at? “ With a SMILE on his face he answered “booooooobs” (yes, with an elongated ooo sound). I was shocked! the first feeling I always get is shock. Shocked that someone can say or do such a thing, hey I thought yesterday was Independence Day! Anyway as he smiled happy with his answer and looked ahead continued to walk. I sprang on him from behind and gave two and a half punches of the back of his head (medulla oblongata) all this time confused whether respect the elders clause would allow me to take such an action. He started to sprint as no old man has run before and continued to walk back home. I wish I could tell you that I went home bought a phone and lived happily ever after, but I didn’t.

I got home and oiled my hair ate a ton of food to counter the rage and decided to go out to buy the God forsaken phone. My lovely sister and a close friend wanted to company me. The three of us sat bundled in the auto. I was hugged my red bag for comfort as I sat towards the exit. My friend lit up a cigarette and started to smoke. I noticed there was a man on the bike following us from the last 1.5kms at least. I tugged closer at my bag, as if sensing my fear the man started to ride with the auto his bike right next to my legs. He kept extending his right arms towards the auto.

I was scared, but more furious I tried to grab hold of his hand so my friend could cigarette burn it, but it was too late and he had speed away. I don’t know whether it was the confidence of hitting an offender just an hour ago or just pure outrage that fuelled my fire. Just as luck would have it ahead was a traffic light and the signal was red. I handed the bag to my friend and asked my sister to get out of the auto; we started to look for the man who thought women were public property. My sister looked towards the right and I looked at the left side. I spotted the biker staring at the signal, before he could even see me I planted a solid, like never before, punch on his face. He fell with his bike scratching a car in the process and causing a loud thud. My sister came running as he gained his balance my sister took the keys off the ignition and I alerted the traffic policeman to ask the man. We were taken aside and I narrated my story as he pressed his hand on his jaw where I had punched him. The policeman congratulated me and asked me to wait as the s I was somehow due to me on the crossroads in a minute (because the governor’s house and office was on that road)

We waited, the offender spoke and in a very how can you do this to me tone, he said “bah… I am saying sorry no.. bah why you are doing this?....... you are so cunning bah” I guess my sister felt good as well when she threatened him that she would punch him this time, maybe it was revenge for all the times she was harassed. In the meantime the circle inspector came in his jeep and I explained the case to him, offender was made to sit in the jeep and his bike was ceased I had to write my name and address in a register. All the offender could say was, “take them also they were smoking” to which the cop paid no attention. I figured that whether or not any action is taken when he reaches the police station the inconvenience caused and the bribe given would be reason enough for him to think twice before he misbehaves. Two down, many more to go!

age at the time of experience: 22

current age: 22

location: streets of Hyderabad

time : afternoon

Action Hero felt shocked

Action Hero Objective Onlooker

My day started today by a frantic search for an auto, and due to the rains, the one I finally found charged me extra. It was a pretty uneventful journey until we reached the flyover, where the marvel of a 21st century machine broke down and I had to step out and wait for about thirty minutes for the driver to repair it.

After a rather long thirty minutes we were moving again and I finally reached college, only to figure out that the class was so unimportant that we ended up watching a movie in it.

Oh well, and the rest of college went pretty uneventful. Who knew, what was in store for me that day. And finally with a resigned thought Me and my friend V, got into the first bus we saw, a rather crowded one at that. No place to find we stood on the isle and started talking about the trivial things in life (not so trivial after all).

Suddenly after the nice long conversation we had, we realised we had missed our stop almost ten minutes ago and had to get off two stops later. Almost getting into a panic situation we crossed the road (which involved us lunging on a two-sided barbed fence on a road divider), and to our good fortune, found the same bus going towards the opposite direction (that is, back to our stop).

We had our bouts of laughter, and little mental jigs, when our stop came and we went our separate ways. V’s house is a walk away from the stop, whereas mine needs an auto. But to my horror I found absolutely no auto around and decided I would walk till I find one. I did find one, but by then I was panting and nearly collapsing with shortness of breath.

Somehow I did reach home. It was nearly 5:00pm then. And when I shuffled through my bag, to pay the auto driver, what did I see? My wallet was MISSING! I didn’t notice it before, because V had paid for both the bus journeys due to my lack of available change. I reached into my pocket and by the Lords grace found the exact amount and paid him. I rushed upstairs and dashed into my room, emptied all the contents of my bag including the little candies.

My wallet contained EVERYTHING! Including my credit, debit and ATM cards and most of my identity cards (thankfully not my driving license and college ID card, which I keep together separately). I guess it was the crowded bus which ‘magically’ made my wallet disappear (no, I don’t mean real magic, I mean PICK-POCKET). I am amazed at how pick-pockets work with such perfection. I couldn’t even feel any movement and I’m dead sure I had it before I stepped into the bus. I’m not sure whether it was anger or sadness, but I gradually got that unwanted sinking feeling. I figured it was both. Both at different levels at different times.

Panic-stricken that I was I first got my cards blocked and then talked to my dad about what to do about the army dependent cards, and he told me that I needed to lodge an FIR in the police station immediately. It was already 7:00pm by then, and sure about not finding an auto I took the car keys and made my aunt sit with me (you may ask why I don’t drive to college. Well let’s just say, my family suffers from paranoia).

We somehow reached the police station, for which I even skipped a signal in between. And still in a bit of an imbalanced mental state, when I was about to park, I banged into a police officer’s car (no, I’m not writing this sitting in jail). I started on an apologising tangent and it took me my most sad puppy face to soften the officer to an extent that he reversed my car himself for me (humanity is not dead) and told me to that it was okay and to be careful from now on.

The rest went smoothly, everything in place. And my aunt and me headed back home with the FIR in hand and a satisfaction on the face.

It wasn’t too far from home after that, already 9:00pm now, there was an unruly man on a bike who came in from my right side (read, nowhere), and almost rammed into my car. Luckily he pressed the brakes just in time for no damage to happen. Just as I was about to move on, this obnoxious hooligan of a 20 something starts to abuse left right and centre. I stayed patient for sometime, kept my cool and tried to explain to him that he needed to be more careful, since he could see me better than I could.

No, it didn’t work. Politeness never really does. Finally I had to switch on my parking lights and my aunt and me had to get off the car. He abused like crazy (still trying to figure out why) and well after a point I abused back (it’s below my dignity to use abuses in Hindi, whatever he said, I gave back an almost exact English translation). But after a point it got even more ugly, when he started to roll up his sleeves and tried to advance towards me, threatening me that he would show me ‘my place’. What did I do after that? Oh.. I had a pepper spray clipped on to my pocket. And yes, I used it! Right onto his filthy abusive face! (In no time at all I had turned into a true hardened Delhi-ite)

I heard a loud squeal. My aunt had a proud expression. And I felt a sense of victory. Maybe it was the pent up aggression that was getting nurtured in me by the highly skilled pick-pocket and added up by this creep. I did not sit back in the car immediately as my aunt instructed me to. I did not flee or react to the wordless protest (involving a lot of baritone shrieking). But I just stood there and stared. Stared at the helplessness, this man wanted to subject me to, a few minutes ago. Started at the likes of all the culprits of crimes in Delhi. Stared at the irony, that he wanted to show me ‘my place’.

After those glorious five minutes, I sat back in my car (probed more by the honking at the back). As I put on my seat belt, I brought down my power window, and with a plain, unmoved and nonchalant expression on my face, I said (in Hindi, of course), “bhaia, now could you please move, We have to get somewhere you know.” and whizzed past…

Action Hero Z

It was a regular weekday evening and i accompanied my grand father to the pharmacy. While he was buying his medicines i went to the grocery store right next to it to buy chocolates. while i walked into the store i noticed two boys outside snickering and smiling and as i walked out one of grabbed me by my waist and tried to feel me up! i pushed him, gave him a dirty look, called him names and hurried away. My grand father noticed my change in behavior and enquired me about it. He then walked up to that boy, hit him with his walking stick and made him apologize. That boy claimed that it was a mistake and left the place with his friend! i was in sixth standard when this happened! I was twelve years of age!

This was my one my first experience of being eve teased! Seven years long years have gone by and I have not seen any change in a a man's(most men) behavior towards a woman or a girl! It is probably getting worse!

age at the time of experience: 12

current age: 19

Location: Koramangla, Bangalore

Action Hero Z felt angry and amused