From: bhat@cs.columbia.edu (Dinkar Bhat)
Subject: Re: More about India
Organization: Columbia University Department of Computer Science
Distribution: soc.culture.indian
Date: Mon, 5 Oct 1992 18:41:11 GMT

In article <1992Oct5.162907.22585@meaddata.com> udcrusd@meaddata.com (Sylvia D'Cruz) writes:
>In article <1992Oct3.205931.21733@noose.ecn.purdue.edu>, tolia@plugflow.ecn.purdue.edu (Anish Arun Tolia) writes:
>|> In article <1992Oct3.005330.3347@mnemosyne.cs.du.edu> ngopalas@nyx.cs.du.edu (Nath Gopalaswamy) writes:
>|> >
>|> >On an interesting note, though on a different matter, some Americans here have
>|> >complained that they cannot take their wives or daughters to India without being
>|> >a little bit apprehensive. It seems almost all female members of their group had
>|> >very bad experiences on Indian markets or buses, they soon learned to take taxis
>|> >and avoid going into even remotely crowded places. This complaint was mainly
>|> >voiced in the north, though cities like Bangalore were also some spots where
>|> >they had trouble. Some were frankly disgusted and wanted to return immediately.
>|> >I wonder how long it is before Embassies start issuing warnings about this 
>|> >behaviour by our randy countrymen :-). 
>|> >
>|> >Nath.
>|> >
>|> >PS Apparently our dear countrymen thought that the ladies were purposely 
>|> >exposing themselves as an invitation. :-)
>|> 
>|> This is not true. Ask any woman who has lived in Delhi for any period 
>|> of time what happens in DTC busses no matter how conservatively they 
>|> are dressed. The problem lies in the "culture" that either puts 
>|> women on some divine level (the goddess and ma-bahen syndrome) or 
>|> treats them like whores. Something in the Indian male psyche or maybe 
>|> culture prevents them from accepting women as equal human beings. Things
>|> like this are why I hate people who shout all over the net telling everyone
>|> how wonderful Indian culture is....actually a whole lot of it SUCKS.
>|> 
>|> Anish
>
>It is not just Delhi, Bombay, too. And, it includes any women, Indian or 
>foreign, clad from head to toe, or not. The blatant oggling, their crude
>gestures, their gaping mouths and their lurches and onward thrusts.....
>
>Well, I don't miss it at all. How many of you gals out there remmember the
>famous "Dadar bridge". Some of my girl friends and me, had a wonderful
>laugh trapping these sex starved men. It was fun watching them miss and 
>fall into another man, or yes hurt them in the process trying - an umbrella 
>is a pretty handy tool. On the whole, we learned survival in a "man's"
>world. Eve teasing is a way of life atleast in Bombay.
>
>Life is a whole lot better here. I would never, ever get back there. And,
>yes it is not just restricted to the people in the trains and buses and the
>middle and lower strata, the ICS and the FCS and the MLA'a and the FRCS.
>Education has broadened only a few. The only women, who are reverred, are
>the senior citizens in saris, who look their age and weigh their weight.
>
>I want to remain and look as young and trim as I possibly can and not
>restricted to a sari. And, no I don't want to be reverred. I prefer to be
>treated as an individual with my own rights and on equal footing with men.
>
>India will never, ever see that day........ India is over-burdened with
>ancient traditions and customs that serves more as noose getting tighter
>and tighter around her, than moving forward in the present century. 
>addressing issues of social importance, rather than splurging herself in 
>material household luxuries and selectively apeing the west in things
>that bring more harm than good.
>
>Sylvia D. D'Cruz                                

I fully agree with Ms. D'Cruz. For Indian women, travel, work environment
etc are really a nightmare. There are no *working* laws against sexual
harassment. We see men daily, every single day, making  third rate
comments of women in every corner of the country. But of course,
Indian men will talk of bull shit like treating all women like sisters/mothers.
I am sure no woman in her senses will *ever* want to go back to India.
And Indian men blame the West for losing values!! Talk about hypocrisy!!

Dinkar.
Newsgroups: soc.culture.indian