Defend Yourself

Self defence is very important rather every child specially the girls should learn this. In day to day life they deal with several kinds of situation where they can’t call for help but would have to rely on themselves. In the school, streets, offices, public transport and even at home they encounter predators. Police can’t be everywhere rather we don’t expect them to be present when we require them the most. We can’t have a personal bodyguard or even our parents can’t be everywhere. So self defence comes very handy in our day to day life.
One of my aunt in her youth encountered a group of eve teasers in Kolkata while chilling out with her friends . What the eve teasers didn’t know was that she and her friends were Karate black belt champs and as a result they had to face the consequences - The Karate way. The next day all those girls made their way to the newspaper headline. Bravo !
A certain breed of men have made our society very toxic. Extremely ! One can’t pet a child lovingly, their parents might give you a nasty look no matter what  your intention might me. Can't blame them. A child sees every person as a predator, that's how they are being schooled by their parents. The purest souls have been compelled to be intoxicated by some perverts.
Every parent feels scared till their daughter returns home, be it a child or a married daughter. In this society all men irrespective of age are looked upon as a threat to the womenfolk. Once in our Bengaluru apartment a young girl was about to board the elevator and as I came she stepped back and allowed me to go in alone. I felt very bad not about me but the society where every child looks at every unknown person as a threat.
Women are not safe from their husbands and in-laws at times and even from their fathers too. The purest and loving relationships have been poisoned, the damage made is irreversible.
Oh, the situation could be the other way round too. Women could be a threat for men. Since the society looks at the men as a threat by default it’s easier for some women to get away by abusing the opposite gender and misusing the law. In that case no trick of self defence is going to work. The more you defend yourself the more you will appear as a culprit.
My wife is a master in self defence. She punches the predator men verbally and physically. Last night while she was in the elevator a person showed her a cricket bat (we don’t know what his intentions were) but she took the challenge and in return she kicked him and beat him up standing on his body. Full of jabs and uppercuts with the sound of growling exhibiting her tooth. She even got injured in her leg.

She described the scene to me while spraying the pain relief.

She thrashed a man in her dream and kicked the side of the bed in reality leaving her own foot sprained. 

Don't laugh, its a serious matter.

I am looking for some helmets and pads since then. One day she might run after her threat and give a flying kick like the one of Bruce Lee. I won’t be far from her reach. That day she might again describe her dream to you but I will be gasping for breath at the brim, in reality.
Please defend yourself and choose your threats judiciously.

Photo & Text : ARIJIT SEN

Edited by : RAJASHREE SEN