India has its own female superhero & she is a rape survivor

There is no denying the fact that comic books are mostly gender-biased. In most cases, there is a man (almost always a man) with superpowers, who protects the world and his personal damsel in distress. But recently, an Indian superhero, the country that ranked 114 at the Global Gender Gap Report, has changed this decades old system. A new series of comic-books called, ‘Priya Shakti’ have a female rape survivor as the protagonist.

The comic is available on internet, 'Priya's Shakti' can be downloaded for free from the official website. Written by Ram Devineni and Vikas K. Menon, it is funded by the Tribeca Film Institute and will debut in Hindi, Enlish and Marathi at the Mumbai Film and Comics Convention next weekend.

The leading character of the comic, Priya, was inspired by the 16^th December, 2012 rape victim. In the comic-book, Priya is given superpowers by Goddess Parvati, to fight against gender-based sexual violence. The official hashtag for “Priya's Shakti” is #StandWithPriya.

According to the website of the comic book, this is the synopsis of the story: “The storyline focuses on Priya, a human woman and ardent devotee of the Goddess Parvati who has experienced a brutal rape and the social stigma and isolation resulting from it. The Goddess Parvati is horrified to learn about the sexual violence that women on Earth face on a daily basis and is determined to change this disturbing reality.

“Inspired by the Goddess, Priya breaks her silence. She sings a message of women’s empowerment that enraptures thousands and moves them to take action against GBV around the world. This project highlights the threat of sexual harassment and violence that women face on a daily basis unless deeply rooted patriarchal norms are challenged.”