{"id":529879,"date":"2026-04-14T06:53:14","date_gmt":"2026-04-14T06:53:14","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/529879\/"},"modified":"2026-04-14T06:53:14","modified_gmt":"2026-04-14T06:53:14","slug":"shakti-mohan-recalls-eve-teasing-molestation-not-just-strangers-even-relatives-my-mother-would-worry-about-familys-reputation","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/529879\/","title":{"rendered":"Shakti Mohan recalls eve-teasing, molestation: \u2018Not just strangers, even relatives’; ‘My mother would worry about family\u2019s reputation\u2019 |"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"ShaktiChoreographer and dancer Shakti Mohan has opened up about facing eve-teasing and molestation while growing up, sharing how harassment was a constant part of her life. Opening up about molestation, Shakti said, \u201cYes. Not just once\u2014multiple times, in different places. And not just strangers\u2014even relatives. Ask any girl, and you\u2019ll realise this is very common.\u201d She further revealed that similar incidents had happened with her sisters and cousins as well. Choreographer and dancer Shakti Mohan<\/a> has opened up about facing eve-teasing and molestation while growing up, sharing how harassment was a constant part of her life.Speaking to Siddharth Kannan, Shakti said, \u201cEve-teasing was a regular part of life back then\u2014I don\u2019t know if it still is, but for us, it was constant.\u201d <\/p>\n

Watch<\/p>\n

Shakti Mohan, Neeti Mohan and Mukti Mohan play a fun Holi Quiz <\/p>\n

\u2018It was a daily experience\u2019<\/p>\n

Recalling her college days, she said, \u201cEven stepping out of the house after 7 pm felt unsafe, like you were inviting trouble. But it wasn\u2019t just at night\u2014even during the day, while commuting to college.\u201d\u201cI studied at Miranda House, and the two years I travelled by university bus were extremely traumatic. The way people would look at you, the way someone would come and touch you\u2014it was a daily experience.\u201d\u201cEvery day I would come home safely and thank God that nothing serious happened. Because we would hear stories of girls being pulled into cars or assaulted,\u201d she added.<\/p>\n

\u2018Don\u2019t be scared… stare back\u2019<\/p>\n

Sharing how her family responded, Shakti said, \u201cMy sister once even slapped a guy in the bus. She used to tell us, \u2018Don\u2019t be scared. If someone stares at you, stare back and intimidate them.\u2019\u201d\u201cBut honestly, it\u2019s terrible how women have to live like this. If I had the means to travel in a car, I would have\u2014but we didn\u2019t, so I had to go through this every day,\u201d she added.Shakti Mohan says she’s happily single in her 40s, recalls being cheated on in past relationship: ‘I don\u2019t have maternal instincts<\/a><\/p>\n

\u2018There was anger\u2014so much anger\u2019<\/p>\n

On reacting to such incidents, she admitted, \u201cOf course. There was anger\u2014so much anger. You feel helpless and think, \u2018What can I even do to change this?\u2019\u201d\u201cSometimes you feel like grabbing them and hitting them. But many of these men are so shameless that it doesn\u2019t even affect them,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n

\u2018It\u2019s not about clothes\u2019<\/p>\n

Addressing victim-blaming, Shakti said, \u201cThat\u2019s completely wrong. I used to go to college in a full kurta-pyjama, with a shawl or sweater in winters.\u201d\u201cIf you want to blame someone else for your actions, that\u2019s cowardly. It\u2019s not about clothes,\u201d she added.<\/p>\n

\u2018We teach girls everything, but not boys about consent\u2019<\/p>\n

Highlighting the larger issue, she said, \u201cAs girls, we are taught everything\u2014how to dress, how to sit, how to behave, what time to come home. But boys are not taught about consent.\u201d\u201cI used to wonder\u2014why would anyone do something wrong?\u201d she added, recalling her childhood confusion.<\/p>\n

\u2018Not just strangers… even relatives\u2019<\/p>\n

Opening up about molestation, Shakti said, \u201cYes. Not just once\u2014multiple times, in different places.\u201d\u201cAnd not just strangers\u2014even relatives. Ask any girl, and you\u2019ll realise this is very common.\u201d\u201cAt that time, I was too young to even understand what had happened. I realised it much later, in college, when it suddenly hit me\u2014\u2018Oh, this was wrong.\u2019 And this was someone we trusted completely\u2014someone my parents trusted,\u201d she added. <\/p>\n

Watch<\/p>\n

All My Firsts Ft. Shakti Mohan |Exclusive| <\/p>\n

\u2018I didn\u2019t tell my mother… I was scared\u2019<\/p>\n

When asked about her parents\u2019 reaction, Shakti admitted she never directly told them. \u201cHonestly, I never directly told my mother about this particular incident. Like I said, I told my sister. All of us sisters were shocked when we started sharing our experiences. There was a lot of anger. I didn\u2019t tell my mother because I was scared\u2014what would I even say to her? And what could she do?\u201dShe further revealed that similar incidents had happened with her sisters and cousins as well. \u201cYes. I told my sister, and she was like a parent to us. Whether in boarding school or in life, we always went to her for everything. Then I started hearing stories from my other sisters too. And even from our female cousins\u2014it was the same pattern. Not just one or two people, but multiple relatives. At that point, you\u2019re just left wondering\u2014what do you even do?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u2018We chose to cut contact\u2019<\/p>\n

Explaining why they never confronted the perpetrators, Shakti said, \u201cWe didn\u2019t know what to do. By the time I realised what had happened to me, I was already in college. Years had passed. I didn\u2019t know how to deal with it. All I could do was share it with my sister. After hearing everyone\u2019s stories, you\u2019re even more shocked. Eventually, you just choose to cut contact. You don\u2019t meet those people again. That\u2019s all we could do.\u201dEven today, she admits the situation remains complicated. \u201cHonestly, I still don\u2019t know how to deal with it\u2014even now. Also, my mother would worry about the family\u2019s reputation. Her instinct would be to protect us by telling us to be careful in the future, not to confront them. Calling them out openly\u2014that would never happen in our family.\u201d <\/p>\n

\u2018Not all men… but some feel it\u2019s their right\u2019<\/p>\n

Shakti also pointed out, \u201cNot all men, but yes, some men feel it\u2019s their right\u2014that they can speak to women in a certain way or treat them however they want.\u201d\u201cThat\u2019s something I still clearly see in society today\u2014the upbringing of boys and girls is very different,\u201d she said.\u201cNot hatred, but there is definitely rage towards certain men,\u201d Shakti admitted, while adding that she has also met \u201cwonderful, kind and respectful people.\u201d\u201cIn North India, it felt worse. After coming to Mumbai, I felt much safer and more comfortable,\u201d she said.\u201cI feel Mumbai has a very different culture\u2014there is a sense of mutual respect between men and women.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u2018If mindset doesn\u2019t change, nothing will\u2019<\/p>\n

Ending on a strong note, she said, \u201cWe teach our daughters to be careful, but we don\u2019t teach boys about consent.\u201d\u201cBoys often grow up with too much freedom and no clear boundaries. If that mindset doesn\u2019t change, nothing else will.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Choreographer and dancer Shakti Mohan has opened up about facing eve-teasing and molestation while growing up, sharing how…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":529880,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[32],"tags":[6491,183567,96,135059,152530,183569,183568,183562,183563,183564,183565,183566,56,54,55],"class_list":{"0":"post-529879","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-celebrities","8":"tag-celebrities","9":"tag-choreographer-dancer-shakti-mohan","10":"tag-entertainment","11":"tag-shakti","12":"tag-shakti-mohan","13":"tag-shakti-mohan-dealing-with-eve-teasing","14":"tag-shakti-mohan-dealing-with-molestation","15":"tag-shakti-mohan-eve-teasing-incident","16":"tag-shakti-mohan-molestation-incident","17":"tag-shakti-mohan-molested-by-relatives","18":"tag-shakti-mohan-sexual-harassment","19":"tag-shakti-mohan-sisters-names","20":"tag-uk","21":"tag-united-kingdom","22":"tag-unitedkingdom"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/529879","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=529879"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/529879\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/529880"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=529879"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=529879"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=529879"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}