Recently we stumbled over a beautiful viral thread of how a father, Haresh Chaturvedi, stood by his daughter, Shruti Chaturvedi. And how he refused to be blackmailed over some morphed pictures. This viral thread is a great reminder of how when women shine brighter when they are supported by a feminist father.
In this viral thread, Shruti Chaturvedi shared how her own cousin morphed her photographs and attempted to blackmail her parents. But, the way her father reacted and supported her during that tough phase shows why we need more feminist dads.
Here’s the viral thread:
Thread: A personal episode from the past that I feel is very relevant to be shared today, especially for parents of young girls.
— Shruti Chaturvedi (@adhicutting) February 15, 2021
I was 18, when my first cousin morphed my face with that of a male school friend in extremely compromising position.
Very believable for anyone without knowledge of tech.
I was devastated. This was a brother I looked upto. This was the brother I had given my laptop to so he could apply for jobs. And on the same laptop, he made those photographs of me, his younger sister.— Shruti Chaturvedi (@adhicutting) February 15, 2021
Why did he do that? He was kicked out of his house by his family after he married a girl w/o their consent. He was homeless, so my parents let him stay with us till my his family cools down & accepts them back. After 6 months, he felt threatened he’d be asked to leave our place.
— Shruti Chaturvedi (@adhicutting) February 15, 2021
So one day, he confronts my parents, infront of me, with those pictures and shows those photographs, with clear terms – pay him & his wife a fixed amount every month, let them stay at our home or he would leak those pictures everywhere.
— Shruti Chaturvedi (@adhicutting) February 15, 2021
I still remember he explained how he would distribute those pictures on the day they would get me married ????
I don’t know how any other parent from lower middle class would have reacted to this. But I remember how my parents did, that changed my relationship with them forever.— Shruti Chaturvedi (@adhicutting) February 15, 2021
I was crying, ashamed, hurt & confused..all together. I looked at my mother and said “this is not me”
— Shruti Chaturvedi (@adhicutting) February 15, 2021
And my father straight away hugged me and said “even if it is you, toh kya?”
I still remember how secured my father’s “jo ukhaad sakta hai ukhaad lena” to him made me feel.
At IFORHER, we are in awe of this inspiring father. He showed us how we have to stand by our daughters rather than turning them into victims of our patriarchal society! Hope more people will seek inspiration from him.