Dussehra is here, and we’re ready to burn Ravana’s effigy to celebrate the triumph of good over evil. But newsflash: Ravana never really left. In 2025, he’s hiding behind screens, office desks, and social media handles, spreading chaos in the form of social evils. From hate speech to AI impersonation, here are the social evils in India keeping the ten-headed menace alive in 2025.

1. Online trolling

The online trolling Ravana is the kind of person who has no life of their own, so they try to ruin everyone else’s. These trolls have one goal — to fill your feed with unnecessary opinions. They thrive on drama, much like that relative who comments on everyone’s age and weight at family functions.

2. Toxic work culture

If you thought the ten-headed monster from Ramayana was evil, wait till you meet a boss who preaches work-life balance and then emails you at midnight expecting a response “asap”. This modern-day Ravana is another name for big companies that thrive on exploitation of employees. Do I need to say more?

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3. Hate speech

And then comes hate speech, the unwanted guest at all gatherings, online or offline. This guy is on your timeline, WhatsApp groups, and family functions, telling everyone he is better than others. Why? Because he belongs to a certain religion or caste. It’s 2025, but this social evil is still thriving in India, making us believe that respecting other people’s existence is still debatable.

4. Online scams

This Ravana specialises in tricking you into believing you have won a lottery you never entered. And let’s not even talk about those phishing emails claiming you’ve inherited ₹5 million from some distant relative. And the latest on this list is the digital arrest scam that even the most active internet users can’t seem to avoid.

5. Sexual abuse

Another Ravana is living among us — the sexual abuser. Yes, the one that thinks lewd comments are compliments and unsolicited touching is welcome. He shows up at work, on the street, in DMs. He’s everywhere. India reported more than 31,000 rapes in 2022 (the latest year for which data is available), and there are thousands more that go unreported.

6. Victim blaming

To defend the sexual harasser Ravana, we have the one who has mastered the art of victim blaming. This one asks all the wrong questions. “Why didn’t you speak up sooner?” “What were you wearing?” He shifts focus away from the actual problem and makes everything the victim’s fault. It’s like blaming Sita for being kidnapped.

7. Gender inequality

Gender inequality is one of the social evils in India that’s still strutting around. This Ravana just loves pointing out how women should know their place. Equal pay? Career growth? Apparently, he killed them all. Thanks to this Ravana, it will take India 131 years to reach full parity between women and men.

Related: The Price Of Being A Woman: Women Pay 20% More To Simply Exist In India

8. AI impersonation

This one’s relatively new but all the more horrifying. This Ravana is the digital doppelganger you never asked for. Using AI, he can create very realistic but fake photos and videos. From deepfake videos to embarrassing photos, this modern-day Ravana is taking identity theft to a whole new level. The latest case of Babydoll Archi is a proof. Old Ravana may have had ten heads, but this one can have thousands online, all with one goal: to confuse, humiliate, and manipulate.

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9. Emotional abuse

Emotional abusers are the kings, and gaslighting is their weapon of choice. This Ravana makes you feel like you’re overreacting when you call out toxic behaviour. They twist reality, convincing you that their manipulation is just love.

Related: What Is Gaslighting? The Signs And Tactics To Recognise This Form Of Abuse

10. Dowry

Unfortunately, decades later, dowry is still on the list. But they don’t call it dowry anymore, it’s called gifts. Families insist love and marriage are best measured in gold and cash. People have a love-and-hate relationship with this Ravana. They hate him only when they are at the giving end of these gifts. Otherwise, this Ravana is always welcome.

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