Singer Chinmayi Sripaada has shared a message in support of women who alleged they were molested at AR Rahman's Marakkuma Nenjam concert that was held in Chennai on September 10. In a long post on X, she extended her support to the victims.
"You did not deserve this. You deserved music, you deserved fun, you deserved joy, you deserved a concert experience that made you cry; cry from the joy you felt from the music, from feelings that evoked nostalgia. You deserved warmth, and the shared euphoria from other fans as everyone sang along, shouted along, and jumped along to songs that we love to vibe and groove to. You deserved an experience that made you recount it with love, think of it with fondness and wish for the next one to make a beautiful new memory associated with this magical beautiful thing called music, with a musician we adore. I wish you didn't have to go through sexual harassment but you did and wish as I might that such experiences never happen to anyone, this wish doesn't come to pass (sic)," she wrote.
She added, "I wish you didn't have to go through sexual harassment but you did and wish as I might that such experiences never happen to anyone, this wish doesn't come to pass."
Several women took to social media to share incidents of sexual harassment at the overcrowded event. One user claimed, "the number of men who used the crowd as an excuse to violate women today.. we were struggling to breathe and were also violated." Another user claimed, "Woke up to having such a weight in my heart.The unsafe feeling i have today is haunting me. One of the people who groped me, literally looked into my eyes when I just asked him for the way and move."
The concert has made the headlines for all the wrong reasons, including gross mismanagement, which led to a stampede-like situation. Many families were separated from their kids, and women alleged strangers groped them.
