Like her parents, Tanuja Sharma, 50, was scared about her college-going daughter. As she was not able to convince the 20-year-old, she thought it was best for both of them to train together.
"Now she is showing some enthusiasm about these classes," said Sharma, who lives in Malviya Nagar and is a home-maker.
She said the Dec 16 incident was a "real shocker".
She said in the self-defence training, both of them have so far learned moves like how to get away from the grip of an attacker or how to disable an attacker with a punch on the nose or a kick in the groin.
The 23-year-old physiotherapist trainee was gang-raped by six people in a moving bus. She was robbed, stripped and then thrown off along with her friend in the cold December night. She died Dec 29 and was quietly cremated Dec 30.
The attack, which made news around the world, led to an outpouring of grief and outrage, with protesters demanding death for the rapists and stricter anti-rape laws.
According to martial art experts, mixed martial art training is also most sought after and is a combination of Judo, Aikido, Muay Thai and Karate, among others.
The experts said apart from these known techniques, women are also keen to take up kick-boxing which teaches one how and where to punch.
The trainers say their fee ranges from Rs.2,000 to Rs.2,500 per month and classes are flexible according to an individual's schedule.
To instill the feeling of security among young girls, the South Delhi Municipal Corporation (SDMC) also recently launched a self-defence programme. This is, however, only for South Delhi-based corporation schools. "Teachers can also enroll for the classes," SDMC mayor Savita Gupta told IANS.
"We have taken this initiative for the first time. In the self defence programme, teachers and students from 548 schools in our area will be trained to tackle real-life situations and protect themselves from anti-social elements.
"We will also extend it to the east and north corporations' schools later. We are planning to allot a special budget for it," Gupta added.
Joshi lamented that women start attending classes after such incidents but soon lose interest.
"They should continue their training. If they stop it mid-way there is no use," he said.
Latest India News
