A woman who grew up seeing her mother being beaten up at home has found a way to redeem herself for being a silent spectator and also teach her six-year-old daughter to stand up for herself.
A woman who has to endure the male gaze as she manages the cash counter at her family's pharmacy every evening is now ready to give it back to the men.
Maidan: The two are among 100-odd women who have been learning tips and tricks for survival at a five-day self-defence workshop hosted by Calcutta police on the Maidan.
Sathi Roy, 35, is dividing time between the early-morning classes at Tejashwini camp and her family business at Burrabazar to make up for a lifelong regret.
As a child, Sathi had been witness to her mother - now 55 years old - being assaulted by family members.
"I can never forget the day my aunts beat up my mother in front of me. She was dragged by her hair. She was screaming for help. I was standing right there but I could not physically stop them. I was young and scared," Sathi told Metro. The assault left Sathi's mother with a slipped disc.
"All my life I have seen so much violence that hitting someone was the last thing I could have imagined myself doing. But maybe my mother's cries for help and my helplessness at not being able to do anything have taught me to stand up for my rights," said the five-feet-two-inches woman, who was seen raining power kicks and handling a close combat on Day 3 of the camp on Monday.
Trainer Arup Das has described Sathi as a quick learner. "Be it a move to protect herself from being choked on the floor or overpowering her perpetrator with a simple leg-lock and twin slaps on ears, Sathi, with no training in martial arts, has picked up the steps accurately," he said.
A resident of Howrah, Sathi came across the Tejashwini poster on a friend's Facebook page and instantly made up her mind to join even if it meant swapping her customary sari for track pants and T-shirt for the three-hour training sessions.
Sathi has already taught her daughter Sourikta, a Class II student, to say "no". "I have told her bhoy pele cholbe na, sobai chepe dhorbe (don't be scared, it will make you more vulnerable)," she said.
Supported by her husband, Sathi has told her daughter that she must voice her protest. "I feel proud every time she speaks for herself when someone intentionally or unintentionally touches her on the road. She says: Uff, dekhe hat-te paren na (Can't you walk properly)?" said the doting mother.
Debika Chowdhury, who manages the cash counter at her family's pharmacy near Behala tram depot, has to deal with men who try to intimidate her or check her out while she is writing bills or receiving payment.
"There is a table right in front of me but some of them try to take advantage of their height and come close. I am usually sitting and am taken aback. There was one incident recently when a man kept staring while I was doing the calculations. It was unnerving," said the Behala resident.
The 28-year-old, who is at the shop from 5pm to 9pm every day, cringed every time she felt the stare but swallowed the insult. Seething within, she forced herself to remain silent in fear of retaliation.
Not any more.
The day Debika's husband told her about Tejashwini camp, her life changed. She decided to enrol because she wanted to stand up for herself.
"Now a palm strike would be enough to teach such men a lesson," said the 5ft-8 inches woman.
Debika said what the trainer told them on the first day has given her a fresh perspective.
"On the streets, I would always try to protect myself and ensure that nobody brushed past me. But why should that be? I now feel let anyone brush past me and I will teach them a lesson. If someone came too close, I would move away but now I know I will not run away myself but confront the person and force him to run away instead," she said with a new- found confidence.
