Answers to Questions About My Life in India #3

I recently received a warm and enthusiastic email from a reader who is yet to visit India but is already in love with its history and culture. She wrote to me wanting to know more about life in India. I’m sure her questions will be of interest to other people, so I’ve answered them here.

1) Where you live in Mumbai, is it very dirty? I’ve heard from my Indian friend at school that India is very dirty, and he hated living there because of it. On the whole, yes, India is a dirty country. The dirt is quite unavoidable. Indians have a bad habit of throwing their rubbish everywhere, and hence you’ll see a lot of trash laying around. Sometimes there is human excrement in the streets, because the slum dwellers don’t always have toilets. Roads are full of holes, and the pavements are not properly paved. However, these are worst case scenarios. There are also relatively clean parts of Mumbai. It greatly depends on the area where you live. I’ve just moved neighbourhoods and there’s a huge contrast. The photo above is of my new street. It’s in a planned development area, which is very clean and tidy. And, dare I say attractive! The streets are lined with trees, and there’s even a lake. This isn’t a typical neighbourhood in Mumbai though. The photo below is of my building and street in my old neighbourhood — a middle class, conservative, outer suburban area of Mumbai.

My old building and street.

As you can see from the photo, part of the street is dirt and there are small stalls set up on the side of the road, which makes it look untidy. Despite people’s efforts to keep the building clean, neighbours would throw rubbish out of their windows and onto my balcony. There were also paan stains in the lobby and stairwell from where couriers had a habit of spitting. It was dusty too, as most neighbourhoods in India are. I had to clean almost daily to stop the dust from settling.

2) What is it like to walk down the street? Do people really stare so much? Is it considered rude to stare so much in India? Unfortunately, yes, they really do stare a lot. It’s very unnerving. There are days that I don’t want to walk down the street at all because I don’t want to feel uncomfortable. People will stare and even turn their heads to keep staring! And it’s not just one person doing the staring. It’s groups of people. But, in India, staring isn’t considered rude. Everyone does it. Much of the time it isn’t malicious staring. Indians are just very curious people.

3) What is it like for foreign women? I have also heard that it’s not very safe (just like it wouldn’t be anywhere else) for women to be alone but also that men will approach you or even touch you? (like your arm while walking by). India can be a challenging country for foreign women. Some places in India more so than others. For example, rural areas and cities such as Delhi. Mumbai is considered to be a relatively safe city, and I’m happy to say that I’ve never felt scared or threatened there. I’ve been followed by men in parks on a number of occasions, but they’ve quickly run off when I’ve confronted them. It is common however for men to brush up against women. Men have deliberately walked into me, stood too close to me in on crowded buses, and one even touched my bum on a bus in Kolkata (he got a swift and sharp elbow from me in return!). Some of my female friends have experienced worse things though, such as men touching their breasts.

4) What are the neighborhoods like in India? Some blogs have said that there is such a class shock in some areas (for example, a mini slum right by a fancy department store). Yes, you’re right there can be a huge class shock. I remember the first time I experienced such a thing. I stepped out of a posh Mumbai nightclub at around 3 a.m. (this was back in 2002) and found poor people sleeping on the street in front of me. I was stunned. You will often see fancy shops and apartment complexes near slums nowadays because many of the slums are being redeveloped.

Related Posts:

1. Answers to Questions About My Life in India #2
2. Answers to Questions About My Life in India #1
3. Do Indian Men Generally Like White Women?
4. Which is the Best Indian City for Women?
5. India Mystery #1065: The Dusty Ceiling Fan
6. Hindustan me, Sab Kuch Milega
7. India Photo: Inside the Mumbai Local Train
8. Adjusting to Having a Maid

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