This evocative photo story captures the trauma a rape survivor goes through in times of victim-blaming

Updated: October 15, 2016 16:48 IST

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Remember Arjun Kamath's powerful photo series on lesbians coming out of the closet and female foeticide? His photographs left his viewers with food for thought. Similarly, Chennai-based photographer Ganesh Toasty came up with a moving photo story of Tanirika who catches the attention of a couple of guys while taking a stroll in the forest. They grab her and drag her into the woods with the intention to rape but one of the guys suddenly stops as he listens to his inner voice and decides to let the girl go. But the episode leaves her with a lot of questions. "Is this my fault too? Is it my fault that I had to take a walk through the woods and stumbled upon those men? Is this an accident too? Are they inanimate objects as well? Should I be more careful whenever I take a walk outside and look from the corner of my eyes always for demons lurking in the dark? Or should I just stay home from now on because I’ll be defenceless when confronted by one of these demons? And most importantly, Will this scar vanish? Will I move on?" she asks herself. “I keep hearing about several rapes happening; kids have been raped, elderly people have been raped, women from all walks of life have been raped. Rape isn’t because of the clothes women wear or because men don’t know how to control themselves. Authorities often blame the victim’s habits, clothing, and social behaviour. It happens because there’s a lack of humanity, and that’s what this series talks about,” Toasty told BuzzFeed. (Source: Ganesh Toasty/ Facebook)