Susan , who lives in Mcleodghanj, Dharamshala,the place of Dalai Lama, says that the community is one of the safest and harmless in the world. I wouldn't mind living here for another year. Yet , she leaves for her home around 7.00p.m when the Sun starts its descent.
Susan has been in India for years now and yet she makes it a point to start her home bound journey early and whenever she goes out for a drink she always takes trustworthy companions along. I am super safe during the day, I can walk anywhere,I can do anything, but certain precautions and I am good to go.
There are hundreds of foreigners who are living in various parts of India and follow the same protocol to stay safe and comfortable. Cities are better says Ann - I feel safe in big cities like Delhi, Mumbai , Bangalore, Chennai. I retort by asking "Delhi" -"Do you know about the December 16th Gang Rape case". She says that cities in India can be dangerous like cities anywhere in the world if woman do not take precautions , but we need to be a little more cautious in Delhi.
She states that Delhi is a NCR ( National Capital Region ) adjoining three states Uttar Pradesh, Haryana and Punjab. The porous borders and the lack of control of one police lets these criminals to run from one border to another and let the police of each state pass on the duty to the other. This creates a very unsafe situation for us. A foreigner traveling to Gurgaon for a event at night( takes 20 minutes) . Will find herself in an uncomfortable situation if someone teases her, as her complaint will be dismissed by Gurgaon police station stating its a Delhi case and viva versa in Delhi.
India is growing and generally considered safe, but these of hand incidents of rape and molestation shake the whole country. The problem is not just the attitude of the people, but also of our dear politicians, who have passed comments that have made RAPE sound like an everyday affair and just a petty crime. Their idea of rape is to find fault in the woman, find fault in media ( concentrated reporting of their area),find fault in westernisation of India, find fault in Bollywood.
So how does one understand the mixed, chaotic and crazy India. Are there any set parameters that can define the things to be careful of and things which can be controlled.
YES, there always are things you can do in India to stay safe, and they are the basics, such as never go out with strangers, never sit with an unknown person in his car, be vary of spiked drinks, dress as per the situation(slightly conservative) and always have a back up number to call.
Susan has been in India for years now and yet she makes it a point to start her home bound journey early and whenever she goes out for a drink she always takes trustworthy companions along. I am super safe during the day, I can walk anywhere,I can do anything, but certain precautions and I am good to go.
There are hundreds of foreigners who are living in various parts of India and follow the same protocol to stay safe and comfortable. Cities are better says Ann - I feel safe in big cities like Delhi, Mumbai , Bangalore, Chennai. I retort by asking "Delhi" -"Do you know about the December 16th Gang Rape case". She says that cities in India can be dangerous like cities anywhere in the world if woman do not take precautions , but we need to be a little more cautious in Delhi.
She states that Delhi is a NCR ( National Capital Region ) adjoining three states Uttar Pradesh, Haryana and Punjab. The porous borders and the lack of control of one police lets these criminals to run from one border to another and let the police of each state pass on the duty to the other. This creates a very unsafe situation for us. A foreigner traveling to Gurgaon for a event at night( takes 20 minutes) . Will find herself in an uncomfortable situation if someone teases her, as her complaint will be dismissed by Gurgaon police station stating its a Delhi case and viva versa in Delhi.
India is growing and generally considered safe, but these of hand incidents of rape and molestation shake the whole country. The problem is not just the attitude of the people, but also of our dear politicians, who have passed comments that have made RAPE sound like an everyday affair and just a petty crime. Their idea of rape is to find fault in the woman, find fault in media ( concentrated reporting of their area),find fault in westernisation of India, find fault in Bollywood.
So how does one understand the mixed, chaotic and crazy India. Are there any set parameters that can define the things to be careful of and things which can be controlled.
YES, there always are things you can do in India to stay safe, and they are the basics, such as never go out with strangers, never sit with an unknown person in his car, be vary of spiked drinks, dress as per the situation(slightly conservative) and always have a back up number to call.
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