When everything else fails, just remember to SING! That was the lesson FBI agent Gracie Hart - played by Sandra Bullock in Miss Congeniality - taught a bunch of naïve, giggly girls at a pageant.
SING - a combined attack on solar plexus (gap below ribs), instep, nose and groin - is one of the simplest and most effective self-defence strategies that women in an unsafe India must learn. More so in Jharkhand, where a 19-year-old engineering student was brutally raped and murdered in Ranchi on December 16.
Governor Droupadi Murmu may or may not have seen the 2000 Hollywood movie, but she has decided to make self-defence training mandatory in all colleges under the five state universities to prevent a rerun of what happened to the BTech student.
The teenager, studying electrical and electronics engineering at RTC Institute of Technology in Ormanjhi, was found dead at her home in the capital's Booty Bustee. She was naked, her face and torso charred, a wire gripped her neck and there was blood in her private parts - all suggesting rape and murder.
A senior official at Raj Bhavan said governor Murmu, who is the chancellor of all varsities, was "shocked and deeply disturbed by the brutality" and wanted every girl student to train in martial arts for self-defence.
"The governor is of the view that mere academic excellence will be half-baked achievement for the state unless girls are trained in self-defence. She wants all universities to start martial art training for students. The first phase will cover only girls' colleges while the same will be implemented in co-ed institutions thereafter," said the official.
Sources said Raj Bhavan had, on Tuesday, verbally communicated the directive to all the five universities in Jharkhand, setting a deadline of January-end. Murmu's academic adviser Anand Bhushan confirmed the development, but refused to elaborate further, citing protocol.
Ranchi University (RU) registrar Amar Kumar Chaudhary said they had received instructions from the governor's office and sent a communiqué to Ranchi Women's College (RWC) for implementation of the plan while Doranda College had already taken up a similar initiative.
There are 71 constituent and affiliated colleges under RU, including three exclusively for women. These are Nirmala College and Marwari Women's College, besides RWC.
"We wholeheartedly support the idea of making self-defence lessons mandatory. The training module and duration are under discussion right now. We are of the view that the course should not be less than three months. After completion, the college concerned will issue a certificate to participants," registrar Chaudhary said, adding that funds for the training would have to be mobilised from internal resources of colleges.
Ranchi Women's College has over 3,000 students. Principal Manju Sinha said they planned to train the girls from January. "It is a welcome order. Safety and security of students is our top priority. We will meet the DGP and request him to arrange for a martial art coach," Sinha said.
Kolhan University vice chancellor R.P.P. Singh said among the 25 colleges under the varsity, five were only for women. "We plan a six-month training module at these colleges to honour the governor's order," he said.
In a related development on Wednesday, chief minister Raghubar Das had instructed DGP D.K. Pandey to remove betel and liquor shops from near academic institutions and increase patrolling in such areas.
Priya, a student of RWC, said she would be glad to learn some self-defence moves to keep stalkers at bay. "Police patrol notwithstanding, we always confront tease gangs and are afraid to take them head-on. If we know karate or something, it will give us confidence."
Nourin, a student of Doranda College, said their campus always had trouble-mongers on the prowl. "Things will be different once we join self-defence classes from next month."
Should similar self-defence training be made mandatory in schools as well? Tell ttkhand@abpmail.com