Fear cripples people’s minds and blocks creative thinking from finding a solution. Many people freeze during a crisis that sometimes worsens the situation. Ms. Venkatalakshmi’s presence of mind and quick action in the moment of crisis is what marks her out as an individual with exceptional mental strength.
On a normal weekday in Trichy, S. Venkatalakshmi (17, at that time in 2014) had just returned home from school and was relaxing in her home when she heard screams of her mother. Rushing to the living room, Venkatalakshmi found an intruder in their home, holding a knife at her sister Kanishka’s throat. He was threatening their mother to hand over her gold chain or watch her daughter’s throat being slit.
This scene would have made most people tremble in fear and give in to the thief’s demands. But Venkatalakshmi, in a fit of inspired action, rushed to the kitchen to come back with chilli powder and threw it at the burglar’s eyes. After the thief collapsed in agony, the mother and daughters proceeded to tie him up and then handed him over to the police.
