Youtube video blogger Monstershanu, whose response to the Gauahar Khan slap incident went viral, talks about the rampant misogyny in the country
“Women are not safe! Why?” asks Monstershanu, a Youtube video blogger, whose crisp two-minute vlog on the Gauahar Khan slap incident caught a lot of attention on social media and went viral recently. Model-turned-actress Gauahar was shooting for a reality singing show in Mumbai when a member of the audience—Akil Malik, 24, slapped her for wearing a ‘skimpy outfit’ despite being a Muslim woman.
Akil might have not been the first to indulge in some violent moral policing, but he was evidently one of the more audacious ones. So what was the thought process behind his action? Did he really think he would get away easily after hitting the actress in public or that she would stop wearing what she wanted in future? Monstershanu's vlog was an attempt to decode this and much more, along with venting his ire on things that women in the country have to go through.
Also read: Man slaps model Gauahar Khan for wearing short clothes in Mumbai
“I heard about the incident while getting back from a wedding, and by the time I reached home, it was all over Facebook, Twitter and Youtube. I was shocked to know the details and it made me really upset. Here's a woman who's working in the film industry, and whatever she may choose to wear, how can a guy come up to her and slap her? It's unacceptable and moreover, unreasonable. What drives a man to do that?” exclaims Monstershanu, whose real name is Shashwat Singh.
The 23-year-old BCA graduate from Delhi says, “It wasn't this particular incident alone that drove me to make the video. I have been observing the misogyny rampant in our country for over a year now. Women are not treated equally in our communities. This incident was just the point at which I felt I should say something out loud.”
Not expecting that the video would connect with a lot of people and be shared by celebrities as well as Gauahar Khan herself, Shashwat says “I had approximately 700 Youtube subscribers at the time and hoped at least 350 out of them would view it, of which at least 50 would take the message in it seriously. I thought if I could manage to change the mindset of even a handful of people, it would be an achievement.”
From vociferous demonstrations to silent candle marches, the issue of women's rights is a much discussed topic today, but incidents of violence against women still continue to occur. “A lot of women constantly have the fear of being groped, or a lewd comment being passed at them. Why do they have to live like this in our society?" he asks.
Shashwat, who hails from Meerut (UP) originally, is a freelance video editor and has lived in Delhi since 2009. "The recent Uber cab rape incident was also disturbing," he says, stressing that he has always felt that a woman should never be made to believe that it is her fault. However, a quick glance at the comments on the video reveals that not everyone agrees with him. "Haters are cursing me, my mom and my sister. Some are even sending me threatening messages," he says.
Despite this, Shashwat is unfazed and says that he would continue to make more video blogs as they give him the space and liberty to produce the content he believes in and reach out to a larger audience. A target he seems to be fast inching toward, with over 5,000 subscribers and over 900,000 views for the video at last count.
Check out the video here:
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