Delhi girl Huma Qureshi says that more than physical strength, it is the technique that matters while facing your attacker on the streets. She stresses the importance of mastering the basics of self defence that are being taught at the DNA Women’s Self Defence Camp. In fact, the actor believes that such training should be made mandatory in school and college curriculum.
“I remember in the all-women’s college in Delhi, I used to crib about self-defence training as my mentality was that this will not happen to me. But now I realise that these small tricks help us gain time during which we can call for help in difficult situations,” Huma says.
She recalls how once while driving in Delhi a group of guys on motorcycles had passed some lewd comments. Huma tried to contact the police and it had taken her almost 45 minutes to file her complaint. “Thus the structure and mechanism of taking quick action against perpetrators should be in place. There should be fast-track courts and such issues should not be shoved under the carpet,” she adds.
Huma talks about shifting to Mumbai and how she was pleasantly surprised when no man came to drop her home. “Back home in Delhi my parents never allowed me to step out after dark but within my home I could scream as loudly as my brothers,” she says. Huma feels that more than a matter of geography, it is a question of mentality that needs to change. “In a patriarchal society, the problem is that a man does not respect a woman’s right to say no,” she adds.
Huma also accepts that women are not built like men physically, but that should not deter them from taking their stand as she learnt while shooting for action sequences in D-Day. “We had action directors from Hollywood and John is well over six feet and heavily built. I would have easily gotten scared if I would have spotted him in a dark alley. But he taught me small tricks about what to do when someone holds a knife or points a gun at you. Now I feel more confident about facing the world,” she says. Huma believes it is all about mastering the technique that can save the day.
