Kavita Awaasthi (HINDUSTAN TIMES; June 13, 2020)

On June 11, actors Shveta Salve and Aashka Goradia were part of a live yoga session on Instagram, but they stopped as Salve noticed a number of vulgar comments during the session. She then decided to #ignorenomore and began naming and shaming the trolls, reporting the accounts.

Sharing screenshots of her direct messages, where trolls could be seen apologising for their comments, Salve, 35, wrote, “I’m done with this bs and we need to take action....” Many TV celebs, including Hina Khan, Narayani Shastri and Meghna Naidu, also stood up for the actors.

Talking about online harassment, Goradia says, “People comment during live sessions, once the live is saved the comments disappear. This is how these trolls get away. Usually women are told or they don’t want to react and keep ignoring abusive and lewd comments. And when you raise your voice, people counter, ‘You put up bold bikini pics online, toh log bolenge hi’. I want to ask them: when has a regular photo or covered up girl stopped anyone from being vulgar?”

Goradia, 34, points out that the teenagers who write such “rubbish online” might grow up to be “abusers and worse”.

“Shveta felt so bad for me that she was compelled to do this. I have learned one doesn’t have to always ignore, and we need to set a precedent. I urge women to come forward and report them. People should fear making any sexual comment to anyone,” she says.