Chinmayi Sripada attacks trolls for bringing up sexual abuse she faced amid debate over calling mangalsutra ‘a social construct’: ‘Why do men…’

Multilingual singer Chinmayi Sripada has called out a troll for bringing up her sexual abuse allegations against lyricist Vairamuthu in a tasteless tweet. Chinmayi has never shied away from speaking her mind, and has been among the few vocal voices in the industry during India’s MeToo movement.

The debate began after a quote from the singer’s husband, filmmaker Rahul Ravindran, where he had said that in their marriage , it has been Chinmayi’s choice whether to wear a “mangalsutra” or not. Mangalsutra is a sacred thread worn by married Hindu women. Chinmayi replied to a tweet saying, “He literally said it in some context on an interview which has become a tweet. The rage from the men calling him all sorts of abuses – I am worried for the women here truth be told.”

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The troll on X (formerly Twitter) made a distasteful comment about how Sripada couldn’t save herself when she was “allegedly groped” by Vairamuthu and that she should worry about her own safety instead of all women. Sripada replied, “Yes. Because getting groped and molested is my fault. Why do men like you have to bring up my sexual harassment episode and my molester to prove some non-point? Just please vanish into thin air in Delhi so that I don’t have to breathe it.”

The back and forth between Chinmayi and this particular user (username: evolazealot) continued as the user continued accusing her of supporting molesters and standing on their side. While continuing to defend her stand, Chinmayi again asked the user, “I am asking a simple question: WHY DID YOU BRING UP MY SEXUAL ABUSE IN YOUR STUPID ARGUMENT?” But soon other users on the platform joined in and supported the singer.

One user wrote, “No. Getting groped and molested is never your fault. Survivors should be met with compassion, not used as props in someone else’s argument,” while another user said, “Chinmayi, ignore every man who trolls you.”

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Back in 2018, at the peak of the MeToo movement, Sripada accused lyricist Vairamuthu and actor Radha Ravi of abuse. While none of the investigations bore any actual fruit, Chinmayi said that she was sidelined from the industry and dropped from many projects. Another point of contention was that she spoke up against the tradition of mangalsutra and vermillion and said that all these things should be a choice, not a social obligation.

The mangalsutra episode occurred in 2022, when Chinmayi replied to a fan’s question about whether the tradition of wearing it was really that important. She had replied, “A mangalsutra is a social construct. It is a piece of jewellery.” She added that her husband, Rahul Ravindran, never forced her to wear it and only wants her to engage in such traditions if she wishes to.

“The thing is I wear a toe ring because I want to. My husband doesn’t believe in it. Also, I have worn toe rings of different designs way before I got married. I wear a chain because I want to. Rahul definitely does not believe in it. He told me as soon as we married that there is no reason for me to wear it if I didn’t feel like it,” wrote Chinmayi.

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