In addition to facing their own past traumas, survivors who have chosen to share their stories in the #MeToo movement must battle another harrowing impediment - the Internet trolls. Singer Chinamyi is among those women survivors who faced abusive and illogical messages from Twitter trolls and even managed to handle them with dignity. But now, her husband director Rahul Ravindran, too, is facing his share of trolls for supporting his wife.
Rahul, however, made it clear on Wednesday, that no amount of trolling can affect his unwavering support for his wife. In a short note on Twitter, he not only gave it back to the trolls but also showered Chinmayi with praised for her kindness and bravery.
"All you jobless trolls who keep making noises on my timeline...you might be very few in number… but boy, you can be annoying! So here goes once and for all. My wife might be an inconvenience to you because she's a rare breed that has the courage to speak up. You might see her as a threat to the status quo. That of male privilege. Deal with it. Like it or not the world is changing. It will be an equal world soon. And the voice will get louder until then. But she is not an inconvenience to me. I married a woman who is loving, caring, kind and a selfless giver. She doesn't care half as much about herself as she cares about me and our puppies. And yeah, she's a complete romantic at heart. Dynamite combo bruv. Good luck finding yourself one. There are plenty out there. But doubt they'd want you. Dot."
His strong retort to those questioning his stand on the matter won him huge praise on the social media platform. Chinmayi herself retweeted the note with a caption that read - 'My husband strongest'.
— Chinmayi Sripaada (@Chinmayi) October 17, 2018
My husband strongest. https://t.co/EEAJzSHopn
Several comments on his post thanked him for the note and claimed that he has restored people's faith in men.
Very sweet. It’s men like u who make this world still a liveable place. Thank you.
— Pravallika Anjuri Iruvaram (@ipravallika) October 17, 2018
Oh you beauty, you are so nice Rahul. I'm glad @Chinmayi is with you. Every word in this note is just perfect. Blessings and love to both of you *toucheswood*
— Purple (@Purpleshadow__) October 17, 2018
You are so lucky chinmayi! I am happy that a strong girl with a good heart has got a person with the same qualities as her life partner , which is rare in this world. May you both win the fight together, hand in hand. More love to you.
— Thiripurasundarigayathri (@Thiripu49304809) October 18, 2018
Well said @23_rahulr #MeToo movement is not just about women’s problem. This is important movement for men too to support their mothers, sisters, daughters and friends .
— Hariharan Natarajan (@Hari1024N) October 17, 2018
In the past too, Rahul has made no bones about showing his support for his wife. He had once slammed online shopping site Snapdeal after they posted a sexist ad borrowing a shot from the Aishwarya Rai Bachchan’s film Jazbaa. The visual showed a panicked Aishwarya running and the accompanying text read, "Running to the door before your husband finds out how much online shopping you did."
Responding to the ad, Rahul pointed out, "My wife filed higher returns than I did last year and pays for her own online or otherwise shopping. She ain't gotta run anywhere."
The online attack on Chinmayi began soon after she named lyricist Vairamuthu in a tweet, where she accused him of sexually harassing her when she was just 18 years old. Following that, she has been labelled a “liar” and faced sexist abuse from those hiding behind the anonymity that the internet offers.