Childhood is a beautiful dream! A dream that often withholds the most joyous moments of a person’s life. However, these dreams can be ransacked by predators who leave nothing but scars and nightmares.
Every day, more than 109 children are sexually violated in India! Akshay is one of the many survivors, who fell prey to the heinous barbarism.
Akshay like most college lads had an ever-expanding social circle, thanks to his bursting extroverted energy. His research for a play led him to a social media page that was discussing child sexual abuse.
What happened next, was an unfortunate revelation that brought a drastic change in his life. Akshay realised that he himself was a victim of sexual abuse. The faint childhood memories seemed a lot clearer.
His mother, who was a teacher would go to work, leaving behind her son with his stepfather. Little did five-year-old Akshay know, that the games he was playing with his step-dad would haunt him later in life.
“In the name of playing, he would ask me to kiss his chest and penis! I remember it being warm and hard”
The memories that came back to Akshay pushed him into a state of constant dismal. The extroverted energy faded away, leaving this college student into a shell. The utter sense of powerlessness kept him away from people.
The aftermath of his childhood abusive incident made Akshay fear intimacy.
Every time he tried to get close to someone, the horror would dawn upon him, isolating him again and again.
For years Akshay fought with his perpetrators foul legacy, all alone. Meanwhile indulging in theatre would help him escape the his fears, momentarily at least.
Three years later, he finally garnered the courage to talk to his friends about it. He explained his turmoil in a long WhatsApp message, and the response he received was loaded with support and kindness.
Akshay found solace in the positivity exuded by his friends.
It takes an unfathomable amount of courage to surpass the stigma and unbottle the miseries that come from such deep-seated fears. Akshay and many others like him are not just victims of a shameful and devastating past, they are survivors. Survivors who battle against their pain every day, only to get a taste of life.
