CHENNAI: Varalaxmi Sarathkumar has set Twitter on fire by writing a lengthy post which revealed that a popular TV channel’s programming head had made inappropriate sexual advances towards her recently. Clarifying about her post that mentioned that the man had asked her for a meeting outside of work for “other things”, she says, “He was totally casual when he said it.
He almost seemed placid as he asked me this during a professional conversation. He seemed to brim with the sort of confidence that comes from having made such advances many times before. I wanted to punch him, but that would have ended the issue immediately.
Now that I’ve shared this on social media, he will realise what a horrible person he is.” Varalaxmi, however, didn’t want to identify the man in question. Posting this on Twitter, she says, has made her feel empowered, following all the support that has come her way.
She is distraught at how sexual assault gets normalised. “Such assaults happen everywhere. Women feel unsafe all the time. Men must begin to respect women.” For this to happen, she realises social media activism alone may not be sufficient.
“We need more stringent laws and a system that ensures that the perpetrators are dealt with strictly and swiftly. I am planning to start a movement for this cause and will be meeting a lot of people about this during the coming days.” Varalaxmi promises to create more awareness over the issue.
“Parents must raise their sons to be respectful of women. I think it’s our silence that’s emboldening such culprits,” she says.