Kicking b*lls off racism ... like a boss!

This is about one of my special friends from childhood with whom I have shared few of the best moments of my life. With a name as atypically Malayali as Malu, she carried the scent of Kerala. Quite literally as she regularly oiled her long tresses with coconut oil, visited temples every morning, could perform our traditional dances like Thiruvathira and Mohiniyattam, wore mostly salwaar-kameezes, applied sandalwood paste on her forehead and what not. 

So imagine what could possibly happen to such a girl when her family suddenly plans to relocate to UK! Yes, you read it right.. The United Kingdom (popularly known as England). Culture shock is one of the after-effects of such a shift but in her case it didn't stop there. Be the drastic change in climate, cultures, etiquettes and the lifestyle, she took to everything like a fish to water. But something was inevitable: Racial discrimination.

Well, Malu didn't live in the upmarket London, Birmingham or Nottingham but in Derby where the Indian population was comparatively less. All of 16, she was enrolled in a common school with mostly British students. No, she didn't turn up to the school decked up as a Malayali doll but she certainly looked different from the others. One fine evening, post the sessions, a gang of youngsters landed up in the classroom where she was making a painting. For no reason, they started abusing her on racial lines with inappropriate words towards Asians. She tried to be polite and make them understand that Asians in no way are inferior. That was when one of the guys came forward and tried to man-handle her. Instinctively she slapped him right-away. When the guy turned back, another one approached even more fiercely! One tight kick on his b*lls was all what she needed to resolve the issue. The guy fell down in pain and his entourage sped from the scene.

Later when I heard about the incident, I urged her to go complain to the authorities. Her retort was, "Not really... I know how to handle this." Hmmm... this was just the start. Later her school saw her topping the class and excelling to be the most talented and popular student out there. Well, if she isn't Mardaani then no one else is!



This is written as a part of I am Mardaani activity exclusively at BlogAdda.com for Indian Bloggers.