Social media platforms have become crucial for artistes to reach audiences, but they also open doors to criticism. Indian playback singer Chinmayi Sripaada, known for her work in Sairat and 2 States, was forced to sternly remind an Indian man who asked her to wear sarees in a tweet, that her Western attire doesn't mean she isn't Indian. While there is nothing new about the bullying that takes place wherever there is a marginalised community or gender involved, it is more rampant today in the cyber space, aided by the cloak of anonymity. And success only makes you an easy target.

On January 10, a Delhi-based musician launched a scathing attack on 23-year-old Mumbai-based singer-songwriter Sharvi Yadav when he put up multiple posts accusing her of stooping to physical favours to bag big projects. Yadav then took to social media to talk about it. "People get frustrated or have their own misunderstandings. You can hate my music; everyone has their own opinion. But posts where you are being insensitive and using terms like 's*****g people's c***s', is just wrong. Whatever had to be said could have been expressed differently," she says. Though she laughed it off at first, when no one backed her, she was left wondering how someone could get away with it.