British woman’s blog fuels India’s ‘unsafe’ infamy
Kounteya Sinha,TNN | May 21, 2015, 12.11AM IST
In what is bound to cause further damage to India’s reputation as a country and how it treats its women, Lucy Hemmings has written of a recent incident in a Mumbai bus stop while travelling in India for three months. (Representative image)
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LONDON: A 27-year-old British girl has caused a social-media uproar after revealing two instances of men publicly masturbating while staring at her, during her recent visits to India.
In what is bound to cause further damage to India's reputation as a country and how it treats its women, Lucy Hemmings has written of a recent incident in a Mumbai bus stop while travelling in India for three months.
"I was sitting at a bus stop in Mumbai when I noticed a man move closer to me. From the corner of my eye, to my horror, I realised that he had pulled out his penis and was masturbating, staring intently at me. I felt sick," she wrote.
Recalling a similar incident during her previous visit to India in 2012, Lucy who calls herself a die-hard India lover who spends a "ludicrous amount of time explaining to idiots who frequented the bar I was working in UK why this story of the Delhi bus gang rape is only one miniscule aspect of life in India" writes "The first time this happened to me was in 2012. I was 23 and it was my first trip to a developing country. Along the way, I'd met an Australian girl, Gemma, and we ended up spending three months travelling India together. At the time, we were wandering through Maharishi Mahesh Yogi Ashram or the Beatles Ashram in Rishikesh when I spotted a man, hiding in the bushes watching us and wanking".
She added "My horror quickly turned to hysterical laughter; Gemma and I screamed profanities, laughed, pointed and threw rocks at him. Laughing empowered me, I felt we sent a very clear message that we weren't intimidated by him and that we thought he was pathetic".
Lucy who has now returned from India says she was now beginning to question whether the 'miniscule' aspect was in fact "far more serious and prevalent than I had recently observed through my rose-tinted glasses".
She adds "I felt like my love for India was constantly being tested. On a normal day, I am totally besotted with India; I'm so willing to talk of the endless reasons why India is without a doubt my favourite country to travel and I've recurrently made it my mission to convince others that they should travel there too".
Lucy however goes on to defend India generously in her blog.
The former Bournemouth University student says "For every man that has flashed me, there are countless others who have taken the time of day to make sure I'm on the right train, to help me find the guesthouse I've lost the address for, to let me borrow their phone and to offer me lunch when I look fed up".
"I realise the majority of this post shines a pretty dismal light on India. I promise it isn't all like this; and I do not want to put anyone off coming to this incredible country. There are so, so many more wonderful people and wonderful experiences than the wankers out there".
"Scarily, this wasn't just happening in India, in fact, in just one day, I had heard from over 45 girls who had experienced this in over 20 countries. I'd even heard from a handful of men who'd been flashed at or groped," Lucy added.
Lucy, ever since she wrote her blog on March 15 has been inundated with apologies from Indians. A 27-year-old man living in India said "On behalf of my fellow countrymen I would like to apologise for what happened". Another person wrote "A bunch of people, out of a billion population, make the whole of India ashamed".
She is however clear that people must not abandon plans to visit India for a handful of such incidents. She therefore has a few tips for those planning to travel through the country.
Don't travel alone at night, she says. "The majority of my own experiences with flashers have come from opportunist men on the sides of streets in poorly-lit roads". Use women-only facilities where possible, she adds. Filter your eye-contact and don't be afraid to speak up. She also advices not to be afraid to say no.
She writes in the blog "Parts of India's charm are the people who want to be your best friends - and as a result, will ask for your phone number or to be friends on Facebook. You don't need to give a reason; a polite but firm refusal is good enough".
In what is bound to cause further damage to India's reputation as a country and how it treats its women, Lucy Hemmings has written of a recent incident in a Mumbai bus stop while travelling in India for three months.
"I was sitting at a bus stop in Mumbai when I noticed a man move closer to me. From the corner of my eye, to my horror, I realised that he had pulled out his penis and was masturbating, staring intently at me. I felt sick," she wrote.
Recalling a similar incident during her previous visit to India in 2012, Lucy who calls herself a die-hard India lover who spends a "ludicrous amount of time explaining to idiots who frequented the bar I was working in UK why this story of the Delhi bus gang rape is only one miniscule aspect of life in India" writes "The first time this happened to me was in 2012. I was 23 and it was my first trip to a developing country. Along the way, I'd met an Australian girl, Gemma, and we ended up spending three months travelling India together. At the time, we were wandering through Maharishi Mahesh Yogi Ashram or the Beatles Ashram in Rishikesh when I spotted a man, hiding in the bushes watching us and wanking".
She added "My horror quickly turned to hysterical laughter; Gemma and I screamed profanities, laughed, pointed and threw rocks at him. Laughing empowered me, I felt we sent a very clear message that we weren't intimidated by him and that we thought he was pathetic".
Lucy who has now returned from India says she was now beginning to question whether the 'miniscule' aspect was in fact "far more serious and prevalent than I had recently observed through my rose-tinted glasses".
She adds "I felt like my love for India was constantly being tested. On a normal day, I am totally besotted with India; I'm so willing to talk of the endless reasons why India is without a doubt my favourite country to travel and I've recurrently made it my mission to convince others that they should travel there too".
Lucy however goes on to defend India generously in her blog.
The former Bournemouth University student says "For every man that has flashed me, there are countless others who have taken the time of day to make sure I'm on the right train, to help me find the guesthouse I've lost the address for, to let me borrow their phone and to offer me lunch when I look fed up".
"I realise the majority of this post shines a pretty dismal light on India. I promise it isn't all like this; and I do not want to put anyone off coming to this incredible country. There are so, so many more wonderful people and wonderful experiences than the wankers out there".
"Scarily, this wasn't just happening in India, in fact, in just one day, I had heard from over 45 girls who had experienced this in over 20 countries. I'd even heard from a handful of men who'd been flashed at or groped," Lucy added.
Lucy, ever since she wrote her blog on March 15 has been inundated with apologies from Indians. A 27-year-old man living in India said "On behalf of my fellow countrymen I would like to apologise for what happened". Another person wrote "A bunch of people, out of a billion population, make the whole of India ashamed".
She is however clear that people must not abandon plans to visit India for a handful of such incidents. She therefore has a few tips for those planning to travel through the country.
Don't travel alone at night, she says. "The majority of my own experiences with flashers have come from opportunist men on the sides of streets in poorly-lit roads". Use women-only facilities where possible, she adds. Filter your eye-contact and don't be afraid to speak up. She also advices not to be afraid to say no.
She writes in the blog "Parts of India's charm are the people who want to be your best friends - and as a result, will ask for your phone number or to be friends on Facebook. You don't need to give a reason; a polite but firm refusal is good enough".
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