'All I Saw Was Blood: Author Soundarya Balasubramani On Being Assaulted In London

Soundarya Balasubramani, author and co-founder of Greencard Inc., recently revealed a shocking incident where she was assaulted in broad daylight on the streets of London. In an Instagram post, Balasubramani recounted the terrifying experience of September 18 when she was out searching for a co-working space. At around 2 pm, a tall man approached her and asked for money. After she refused, the man suddenly punched her in the face, according to her account. “For a few seconds I was completely disoriented, unable to understand what the f**k just happened,” Balasubramani said in her video.

“I look down and all I see in my hands and shirt and on the road is just blood. There’s just blood dripping from my nose so fast, I mean I’ve never seen so much blood before,” she described.

Balasubramani recalled dropping to her knees and fainting. “I immediately dropped to my knees because I was feeling faint,” she said, adding that when she turned back, the man was still standing there, smiling at her. Within moments, a group of people, including first responders, the police and concerned passersby, surrounded her. She was rushed to the hospital, where she spent eight hours.

“The entire time I just had one thought: Please don’t let this take away my eyesight,” Balasubramani shared. She explained that she couldn’t open her eyes for the rest of the day due to the trauma. “I was so scared for my eyes,” she said. A CT scan revealed that while her nose had multiple fractures, her eyes were fortunately unharmed for the moment.

Although grateful that her eyesight was unaffected, Balasubramani said the incident made her return to India.

In a follow-up post, she updated her followers, saying the police had apprehended the attacker the next day. “Apparently he had also attacked two other people before me. Fortunately, he’s now detained and will soon be tried in court!” she wrote.

Reflecting on the ordeal, Balasubramani said, “I walked away from this incident with a broken nose and black eye – and all I’ve been thinking about the past week is how it could have been so much worse.”

Since sharing her story, Balasubramani’s posts have garnered thousands of views, with many users expressing their thoughts in the comments.

One user commented, “The UK has fallen in terms of safety… Better to check before you think of going back again.” Another praised her resilience, writing, “Love your spirit of phoenix Soundarya. You’ll heal and fly higher to chase your dreams this time.”

Other users offered support, with one person saying, “Oh man. That must have been scary. I pray for your full recovery and wish you safe travels again, soon!!” Another reflected on the harsh reality of such incidents, commenting, “Sadly events like this can happen almost anywhere. We can’t live in fear, but we can’t be surprised when evil happens in our broken world. Having the right mindset and a supportive community is very important indeed!”

Balasubramani, an Ivy League graduate from Columbia University, New York, and a Gold Medalist from NIT, Trichy, has authored Shackles (2020) and Admitted: The Missing Guide To Craft A Winning Application & Study (2023).