THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: Once she was termed as a victim, today she stands tall, challenging her fate. Kannur native Rahnas, 25, has opened a new chapter in her life as she enrols as an advocate on Saturday. Being a child, she was sexually assaulted by 11 persons, including her father. She might have become one of those girls who succumb to the odds that are stacked against them. But Rahnas rekindled hope and looked towards the green patch life had in store for her. She enrolled for LLB and successfully completed the course. After attending the convocation at Ernakulam on Saturday, the inmate of Sree Chithra Home, Poojapura, said she is dreaming big.
“The assault has never put a clip on my dreams. I have applied for LLM. If I get selected, I will join it. Or maybe I will write the entrance of the Kerala State Civil Service Academy in Thiruvananthapuram. As of now, I am not planning to take up practice,” said Rahnas. Walking a different path, Rahnas was also in the forefront when the Social Justice Department along with the Kerala Mahila Samakhya Society (KMSS) floated a plan to come out with a 30-minute short film on a rape survivor. She will narrate her story in the short film titled My Story to be directed by filmmaker and social activist Leena Manimekalai.
According to KMSS director P E Usha, though they approached many rape survivors lodged at shelter/Nirbhaya homes who had to face abuse from close relatives, it was finally Rahnas, who expressed her willingness to come out in the open. When asked about this, she said there was no point is bearing the tag of a victim. And adds that one will have to move forward. “No one can cower down us unless we allow them. We have a life to live and we have to fight so as to pursue our dreams,” she said.