Opening up about her experiences, Anoushka Shankar says she too has “suffered various forms of groping”
Agencies
LONDON: Shocked by the gangrape and subsequent death of the 23-year-old Delhi medical student Nirbhaya, Anoushka Shankar, the daughter of sitar maestro Pandit Ravi Shankar, has come out in support of sexually exploited women of the world.
Anoushka Shankar , who lives in London, has revealed that “ as an Indian woman, I have suffered various forms of groping, touching and verbal abuse at the hands of a man my parents trusted while growing up.”
She said, “I have had to deal with fear – of being judged, of sexual assault, of waking alone at night.
“But it’s not just India – I was shocked to find out that globally, one in three in three women will be raped or beaten in her lifetime. That’s ONE BILLION mothers, daughters, partners and friends violated.’’
Supporting One Billion Rising, a global movement to protest against sexual violence against women, being observed on Valentine’s Day, Anoushka said, “As a woman, I find I’m frequently living in fear. Afraid to walk alone out night. Afraid to answer a man who asks for the time. Afraid I’m going to be judged based on the ways that I choose to dress. Or the make-up I might choose to wear.’’
Anoushka Shankar said she is dedicating her message to Jyoti Singh Pandey who was gangraped by six men on a moving bus in Delhi on December 16, beaten up and then thrown off to die on the road. Jyoti died a few days later, touching off nationwide protests.
