Study in Self Defence

Each day newspapers and television channels are flooded with horrendous cases of assault and sexual harassment. The Nirbhaya case in Delhi was a wake-up call for the whole country. Crimes by which the society has always been plagued are coming to light one after the other.

Realising the need to be able to protect oneself, our School held a workshop on self-defense organised by the Delhi Police in collaboration with the Delhi State Taekwondo Association.

All our girls were introduced to the subject and then taught to turn objects of daily use into instruments of self- protection. A piece paper, a hairpin, a pen and a keyring could be improvised as 'weapons' to target the vulnerable points of the offender like the throat, stomach and eyes to enable one to escape. Instead of getting unnerved and losing one's state of mind, they were taught to keep calm and assess the situation. The first step should be to seek the attention of people around. However it is critical to remember that eventually the task of protection is only one's own.

As quoted by one of the organisers, " Self-Defense is not a higher form of martial art, but rather the use of simple mechanisms at the right place at the right time.

It was a very constructive workshop which both opened our eyes and armed us as we grow up.