Choreographer and dancer Shakti Mohan has opened up about facing eve-teasing and molestation while growing up, sharing how harassment was a constant part of her life.Speaking to Siddharth Kannan, Shakti said, “Eve-teasing was a regular part of life back then—I don’t know if it still is, but for us, it was constant.”
‘It was a daily experience’
Recalling her college days, she said, “Even stepping out of the house after 7 pm felt unsafe, like you were inviting trouble. But it wasn’t just at night—even during the day, while commuting to college.”“I studied at Miranda House, and the two years I travelled by university bus were extremely traumatic. The way people would look at you, the way someone would come and touch you—it was a daily experience.”“Every day I would come home safely and thank God that nothing serious happened. Because we would hear stories of girls being pulled into cars or assaulted,” she added.
‘Don’t be scared… stare back’
Sharing how her family responded, Shakti said, “My sister once even slapped a guy in the bus. She used to tell us, ‘Don’t be scared. If someone stares at you, stare back and intimidate them.’”“But honestly, it’s terrible how women have to live like this. If I had the means to travel in a car, I would have—but we didn’t, so I had to go through this every day,” she added.
‘There was anger—so much anger’
On reacting to such incidents, she admitted, “Of course. There was anger—so much anger. You feel helpless and think, ‘What can I even do to change this?’”“Sometimes you feel like grabbing them and hitting them. But many of these men are so shameless that it doesn’t even affect them,” she said.
‘It’s not about clothes’
Addressing victim-blaming, Shakti said, “That’s completely wrong. I used to go to college in a full kurta-pyjama, with a shawl or sweater in winters.”“If you want to blame someone else for your actions, that’s cowardly. It’s not about clothes,” she added.
‘We teach girls everything, but not boys about consent’
Highlighting the larger issue, she said, “As girls, we are taught everything—how to dress, how to sit, how to behave, what time to come home. But boys are not taught about consent.”“I used to wonder—why would anyone do something wrong?” she added, recalling her childhood confusion.
‘Not just strangers… even relatives’
Opening up about molestation, Shakti said, “Yes. Not just once—multiple times, in different places.”“And not just strangers—even relatives. Ask any girl, and you’ll realise this is very common.”“At that time, I was too young to even understand what had happened. I realised it much later, in college, when it suddenly hit me—‘Oh, this was wrong.’ And this was someone we trusted completely—someone my parents trusted,” she added.
‘I didn’t tell my mother… I was scared’
When asked about her parents’ reaction, Shakti admitted she never directly told them. “Honestly, I never directly told my mother about this particular incident. Like I said, I told my sister. All of us sisters were shocked when we started sharing our experiences. There was a lot of anger. I didn’t tell my mother because I was scared—what would I even say to her? And what could she do?”She further revealed that similar incidents had happened with her sisters and cousins as well. “Yes. I told my sister, and she was like a parent to us. Whether in boarding school or in life, we always went to her for everything. Then I started hearing stories from my other sisters too. And even from our female cousins—it was the same pattern. Not just one or two people, but multiple relatives. At that point, you’re just left wondering—what do you even do?”
‘We chose to cut contact’
Explaining why they never confronted the perpetrators, Shakti said, “We didn’t know what to do. By the time I realised what had happened to me, I was already in college. Years had passed. I didn’t know how to deal with it. All I could do was share it with my sister. After hearing everyone’s stories, you’re even more shocked. Eventually, you just choose to cut contact. You don’t meet those people again. That’s all we could do.”Even today, she admits the situation remains complicated. “Honestly, I still don’t know how to deal with it—even now. Also, my mother would worry about the family’s reputation. Her instinct would be to protect us by telling us to be careful in the future, not to confront them. Calling them out openly—that would never happen in our family.”
‘Not all men… but some feel it’s their right’
Shakti also pointed out, “Not all men, but yes, some men feel it’s their right—that they can speak to women in a certain way or treat them however they want.”“That’s something I still clearly see in society today—the upbringing of boys and girls is very different,” she said.“Not hatred, but there is definitely rage towards certain men,” Shakti admitted, while adding that she has also met “wonderful, kind and respectful people.”“In North India, it felt worse. After coming to Mumbai, I felt much safer and more comfortable,” she said.“I feel Mumbai has a very different culture—there is a sense of mutual respect between men and women.”
‘If mindset doesn’t change, nothing will’
Ending on a strong note, she said, “We teach our daughters to be careful, but we don’t teach boys about consent.”“Boys often grow up with too much freedom and no clear boundaries. If that mindset doesn’t change, nothing else will.”
