People often ask me if it's safe for a
woman to travel alone in India, and I don't hesitate to say that there's no
reason why a woman shouldn't. During my travels in India, I have travelled mostly alone. Yes, I have been groped,
flashed, and harassed, but this has happened to me (and many other
women across the world) not only in India... unfortunately these are
hassles women face everywhere. You can stay safe by taking a few
precautions, using common sense, and trusting your instincts, just
like you would anywhere else.
Here are my 10 tips on how to stay
safe:
1. Take your cues from Indian
women by observing them. You’ll notice that Indian women do not
smile at men they don’t know and keep any necessary verbal contact
to a minimum. Though people in India do easily strike up casual
conversations in public, this is less common between men and women.
Don’t go out of your way to be friendly to a man you don’t know
or smile at him because this can be misinterpreted. In some cultures
being friendly is being polite, but in India public interactions are
a lot more formal. Don’t worry about appearing rude but rather aim
to act with respect instead of trying to be friendly.
2. Try wearing Indian clothes. As a foreign woman, you will stand
out and attract curiosity. A good way to try to blend in and not
attract more attention to yourself is by wearing Indian clothes. This
doesn’t mean you have to wear a nine-yard sari… Again, observe
how young Indian women dress. A kurta (tunic) worn over jeans, for
example, is a popular look and one many foreigners are comfortable
wearing.
3. Don't use headphones while walking. While walking on the street (especially at night), avoid
using headphones or your phone which can distract you from your
surroundings and what’s going on around you. If you need to make a
call or send a text message, stop in a well-lit public place.
4. Save these numbers. Save the numbers for the police
(100) and 24-hour Women’s Helpline (181) in your phone in case you
need assistance.
5. Make sure your door has a good
look. Sliding locks and ideal because they can’t be opened from the
outside. Before responding to a knock and opening the door, ask who’s
there. Once I was woken up in
the middle of the night in a hotel in Bhubaneswar by someone rattling
the door, trying to open it. Luckily he gave up and left, but I
didn't sleep the rest of the night!
6.
Don’t get into a taxi if the driver is accompanied by another man.
If you have a weird feeling about a taxi driver, just take another
cab. When traveling at night, it’s better to use a call taxi or
app-based service since your name, phone number, and pick-up and
drop-off locations are tracked.
7.
Wear a wedding ring or another sign of marriage. Some women travellers
pretend they’re married, even if they’re not. You can wear a fake
wedding ring or even toe rings (a Hindu sign of marriage – second
toe of each foot!) or something that looks like a mangalasutra,
the Hindu wedding necklace. This is an old trick to ward off unwanted
attention but I'm not sure if it works!
8. Consider the train for overnight trips. For overnight trips, consider taking the train instead of the bus.
Buses often arrive at odd hours. Train stations are usually always
busy and safer places to wait for daybreak than bus stations.
9. Ask to change seats. If you happen to find yourself in a train compartment of men (it's
happened to me) and you don't feel comfortable, ask the conductor to
move you to one where there are other women or families. He'll find
some man travelling alone somewhere, and tell him to switch seats
with you. On sleepers, you’ll be out of sight in the upper berth
and can even cover yourself with a sheet to make yourself less
noticeable.
10.
Use the ladies’ seats on buses. If a man happens to be sitting in a
ladies seat, don’t hesitate to ask him to give it up. Some trains
have ladies-only train compartments and waiting rooms, and there are
often women-only queues at train stations. During one of my first
trips to India, I used to disregard ladies' seats on buses because it
seemed silly... until I had a man next to me “falling asleep” on
my shoulder. I had to keep “waking him up” by jabbing my elbow
into his ribs! I now always squeeze in with the ladies!
