Staying safe: Keep this in mind
The “Vibe Check”
Ishaan: “I was coming back from Physics coaching. It was getting dark, and I took a shortcut I usually avoid. A guy on a parked scooty called out, ‘Oye, can you help me with a map location?’ He looked normal, but something about how he was positioned, blocking the narrow path,made my heart race. My brain said ‘be helpful,’ but my legs said ‘run.’ I didn’t look back; I ran to the main road where the momos stall is crowded and called my brother. My friends later told me that guy has been hanging around several coaching centers lately.”
The “Cool Senior” Trap
Meher: “I used to love basketball trials, but now I make excuses to skip. There’s this senior, Kabir,everyone thinks he’s the ‘cool’ captain. He started ‘mentoring’ me, but he’d stand way too close. The other day, he ‘accidentally’ grabbed my waist to ‘correct my form’ and didn’t let go. I felt paralyzed because he’s popular and I didn’t want to make a scene. Now, I spend the whole session just trying to stay on the opposite side of the court.”
The “Snap” Scam
Zoya: “I met Neo_99 on a Discord server for a mobile game. He seemed chill and helped me level up. We moved to Snapchat, and he sent photos of his setup. Then he started asking for a ‘face reveal’ or a selfie in my school uniform to see if we go to the same coaching. When I hesitated, he got pushy, saying ‘don’t be a prude, it disappears anyway.’ I’m starting to wonder if he’s even a student.”
The “Vape” Culture
Aryan: “At a post-exam party, some guys passed around a ‘vape.’ My best friend, Vihaan, took a hit and said, ‘Bro, it’s just flavored steam, it’s not even like real smoking.’ I felt like a loser with my soft drink. I play football and was worried about my lungs, but I was more worried about everyone thinking I was a ‘teacher’s pet.'”
Beyond the Poster
Saira: “I saw the posters at school, but the comments on a viral reel about STIs were way more confusing. People were making jokes, but some were scared. I realized I didn’t actually know how HIV or Hep-B spread. Is it just ‘adult stuff,’ or can you get it from the local tattoo shop or sharing a gym towel? I wanted to ask, but didn’t want my parents to think I was ‘up to something.'”
The Newbie
Tashi: “Moving from the hills to a big city school was a nightmare. Because I have an accent, a group of girls started a ‘meme’ page about me. They call me names in the canteen and ‘accidentally’ spill water on my projects. They think it’s ‘dark humor,’ but I feel hunted. Even the ‘chill’ kids just watch and laugh, which hurts more than the bullying.”
The Scam
Karan: “I got a frantic call from my best friend, Aryan. It sounded exactly like him,his voice, even his stutter. He said he was at a police checkpoint for a scooty accident and needed ₹5,000 for a ‘fine.’ I was about to open UPI, but I remembered he was in a ‘No Phones’ coaching class. I hung up and called his mom. He was safe in class. Someone had used a clip from his Instagram Reels to clone his voice.”
The “Safe Circle”
Ishaan: “I used to think I could handle everything. But after the ‘scooty’ incident, I was a mess. I finally talked to my older cousin. He didn’t lecture me; he just told me he’d been through it too. Having one person who ‘gets it’ made the anxiety go away.”
Tashi: “It took courage, but I showed the counselor the meme page. The school took it seriously, and the ‘cool girls’ had to apologize. I’ve joined the Art Club now. It’s a ‘Safe Circle’ where nobody cares about my accent.”
