What should a woman do if a knife wielding man demands her mobile phone when she is alone? Surprise him by offering it to him. Or fling it as far as away. As he runs for the phone, you run in the opposite direction.

Remember you can buy another phone. But you have only one life to live.

Common sense is a powerful weapon that can fell any opponent. It helps you to come out of potentially dangerous arenas without a fight.

Unfortunately, this lesson is not imparted to most women in India. Naturally few use it when they are faced with piquant situations.

What should a woman do if she finds herself alone in the company of a strange male as she prepares to enter a lift in a high-rise apartment late at night?

There is nothing to fear.

Enter the lift. If you need to reach the 13th floor, press all the buttons up to your destination. No one will dare attack you in a lift that stops on every floor. Simple.

The examples are endless.

Most women I have met in my 30 years as a trainer in self-defence techniques harbour the illusion that one needs to be powerfully built to take on a male aggressor.

Many also feel that without knowing judo or karate, they can be easy victims to lecherous men.

Nothing can be farther from the truth.

In Bangalore (where I live) and in several other cities, my team holds workshops to explain in detail to women how they can come under attack in the most unexpected circumstances.

So it is good to learn and understand simple but effective self-defence methods. These need not be based on a rigid set of rules.

Rather, your safety lies in your habits, attitudes and activities. It is also learning what handy tools you can convert into powerful weapons for your protection.

How to stay safe while traveling in a cab or a vehicle? How to use every inch of your body to develop devastating power? How to address real street situations? How to protect yourself from a much stronger attacker?

One can learn all this in a matter of hours.

If a stranger tries to attack you when you are alone in your house, run into the kitchen.