Note: All the scenarios described in this content are real. However, the names of characters and places mentioned may be hypothetical.
A Braveheart's Diary
It was the year 2009 when a young girl named Srida, who was almost five years old, found herself in the midst of a bustling family. She was the middle child, with an older brother and a younger sister, who was merely one year old. Now, Srida had grown up to the point where she could attend nursery school. It was her first time being away from home, separated from her beloved brother and her doting parents. She felt a wave of fear wash over her, her eyes welling up with tears as memories of home flooded her thoughts. "I don't want to go, I don't," she whispered, but the time had come for her to embark on her academic journey.
The nursery school was a small establishment, primarily offering tuition services. The classes were conducted by a man (Mr. Deshmukh), renowned for his exceptional mathematics skills. Alongside him was his wife(Mrs. Deshmukh), who possessed an extraordinary aptitude for language studies.
The tuition classes had gained quite a reputation for their prowess in mathematics. It was often said that if your child studied under this distinguished teacher, they had the potential to become mathematical prodigies. Both Srida and her brother, Advait, were enrolled in this esteemed tuition, eagerly pursuing knowledge and honing their mathematical skills.
As time flew by, Advait was four years older than Srida, so he attended Mr. Deshmukh's math classes while Srida learned the basics, such as the ABCs, sentence formation, and other foundational subjects from Mrs. Deshmukh. However, as time went on, Srida opted for mathematics as well, and that's when the darker phase of her story began.
One day, Advait fell ill and couldn't attend the tuition class. On that particular day, Srida was seated on the floor, feeling somewhat disconnected. Despite being in the fourth standard, she didn't fully realize that the man she considered her guru (teacher) could also be capable of being a devil. It was during that fateful day that she noticed Mr. Deshmukh behaving inappropriately towards Divya, a junior girl. Srida felt a sense of unease and discomfort, sensing that something was wrong. However, she couldn't articulate her concerns to anyone, leaving her with a feeling of distress.
And slowly, Advait's class timings changed to the evening, while Srida's classes remained in the morning. Being alone without her brother, Srida felt scared. That's when Mr. Deshmukh started to harass her physically and mentally. He would touch Srida and other girls studying in the 5th standard inappropriately, taking advantage of their young age and innocence...
But sir didn't stop he used to make seat srida next to him and compliments her a lot he think she will be happy with the compliments and do as I will say but he was wrong, srida always used to refuse all those compliments by saying you haven't checked the Qs properly check it and fortunately, she used to make a lot of mistake by knowing and Mr. Deshmukh used to smile and say "o dear girl, you are so smart don't worry I'm there with you" and used to touch her arms, back.
Divya used to be quiet in class, and there was an incident when Mr. Deshmukh put his hands under Divya's undergarments. Srida witnessed the entire incident, knowing it was wrong, but she couldn't explain it to her family, not even to her brother Advait. Mr. Deshmukh would tell Srida, "If you try to say anything to your family, then I will tell them it's your fault." Srida remained silent, believing she was in the wrong and that Mr. Deshmukh was right. This is a common occurrence with young girls who are not aware of the difference between bad touch and good touch.
As time passed, the harassment continued to escalate. Mr. Deshmukh not only touched Srida inappropriately but also targeted her chest, occasionally attempting to squeeze it. Srida found herself feeling utterly helpless. However, one day, while sitting beside Mr. Deshmukh, when he attempted to touch her, she courageously bite his hand. In response, Mr. Deshmukh exclaimed, "What the hell are you doing? Just wait, I will show you."
And then he didn't do anything to Srida because he was aware that it was his fault, not Srida's. Srida cried the whole night, and when her parents asked, she simply said she fell while walking on the road, trying to remain as quiet as possible.
Now, Advait was in 10th grade, and Srida was in 6th grade. Srida wondered how she could explain it to her mother. Advait had been unwell throughout the entire 10th-grade session, but he was a smart and intelligent kid. One day, Advait asked Mr. Deshmukh for some notes, as they contained important questions likely to appear in the exam. The chances of those questions being included were high. However, Mr. Deshmukh replied, "It's your fault for losing the notes or not attending the lectures." This frustrated Advait, and he told their father, "Papa, I need those notes. They can give me an extra 15 marks in the board exams." Srida's father went to the shop at 9 pm and brought those books from a store that was far away from their home. Advait studied those notes and, as it turned out, all three questions were indeed present in the exam paper. Advait scored an additional 15 marks. Srida's father couldn't believe that a teacher could do such a thing to his student. From that point on, Srida's father started to distance himself from Mr. Deshmukh. Srida began expressing her desire for freedom. Her mother asked, "What kind of freedom are you talking about?" Srida couldn't explain the whole story once again.
The next day, when Srida visited her classes, Mr. Deshmukh again tried to touch her chest and squeeze it. But Srida had had enough and decided she wouldn't tolerate it anymore. She explained to her mother, "Sir is bad, his touches were not good, he used to touch us." She only explained this much to her mother. Her mother then visited the tuition center and said to Mrs. Deshmukh, "Can you please make Srida sit near you and explain the concepts to her? She will not sit near the sir." Mrs. Deshmukh was taken aback and asked, "Okay, but is there any problem?" Srida's mother replied, "Yes, she doesn't like the touches done by Mr. Deshmukh, and I'm not sure what he did, but something is wrong. So, can you please make the necessary arrangements?"
The next day, Mr. Deshmukh would come downstairs just to scold Srida, saying, "How dare you destroy my name? Are you a mad, dumb girl? Don't you know how to behave with your sir?" This happened daily, and Srida would cry a lot inside. She became a quiet student because of all this. On the other hand, Advait scored 90% on the 10th board, which made Srida happy, and she started focusing on her academics.
In the 8th grade, while Srida and other girls and boys were learning mathematics from Mr. Deshmukh, she was not seated near him. She was in a group with other students. She felt good about it. However, at the end of class, Mr. Deshmukh called her and said, "Hey Srida, don't be scared of me. I'm a gentleman; I won't do anything to you." Suddenly, he forcefully covered Srida's mouth with his hands and said, "You dumb girl, you can't do anything to me." He then squeezed her chest.
It was almost the month of summer when the semester used to became an end and then srida cried in front of his mummy at that time his mummy takes action and she just remove Srida and his younger sister(Arnika) from that Tuition. On that day srida used to feel like she has achieved something and his mummy used to say why won't you tell this me before, but srida used to think it was her fault till 7th std.{when srida was in std 5th she used to say I want freedom on the day of republic and independence day but Mrs. Deshmukh used to beat Srida and Arnika}
Srida never looked back at that dark path where the tuition classes used to exist, and since then, Mr. Deshmukh has never dared to utter a word to Srida's family. How could he? He doesn't deserve to.
Has Srida truly overcome the trauma?
Yes from Trauma to Triumph: Srida's Remarkable Journey of Resilience and Success
Advait, her older brother, and their family helped her become the girl she had always wanted to be.
Now she can raise her voice with confidence, excel in academics, and shine in extracurricular activities. She has transformed into the empowered young woman she always aspired to become.
Despite being a victim of harassment, she didn't let it define her. Instead, she took it upon herself to educate and enlighten other young boys and girls about the crucial difference between inappropriate touches and safe, consensual interactions.
It's not just about children; it also involves parents, elders, and society in helping them understand how to express their thoughts and understand what's going on in each other's minds. Taking a small step towards explaining this can contribute to a happier life for others.
- DAVE PELZER
