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Julie Wong: My days in India - Part 1 
Both me and the Indians around me are reeling form culture shock, and I'm tired of being looked at, more often than not, like a freak show. I get crude catcalls all the time, warnings about not walking alone at night and about what to wear and what not to, hostile looks, men trying to grope me at night, etc., etc. in fact, when I first arrived and was rooming with two other ICCR scholars, one housemate indirectly threatened me for not behaving like Muslim women in his country. So, I feel quite justified, morally, in wanting to live alone. Read On

My days in India: A letter to Chris - Part 2 
I do sleep well, too well actually. Often forget where I am. I do that too when I'm reading, writing, or working on my laptop. What I hear? Close your eyes and imagine honking cars, men shouting after you things like, "hallooo, halloo, I love you," mumbling something about your body, etc. Listen closer and you'll be lucky enough to hear women's bangles and ankle bracelets. Listen even closer and you might hear my thoughts of you. I'll make a tape of Indian sounds and send them to you. Rain sounds almost the same here. I'm thinking of you, my dear. Read On

My days in India: A letter to Chris - Part 3 
One auto rickshaw driver kept on reaching around to try and grope me. My first housemate tried to tell me what to wear, when I could and could not go out, who I could have visit me, etc., etc. of course, I vehemently refused to have my autonomy taken away simply because he felt justified as a (Muslim) man. During our last disagreement, he then indirectly threatened my life: "In my country I would follow a woman (like you) and kill her." So, I promptly moved into a guesthouse at the university. Read On

My days in India - Part 4 
I can't tell you how dis-empowering it is to deal with these sorts of incidents almost daily, in the end knowing that the offending men/boys get away with impunity and that something similar will happen again. What are my conclusions? That I want, more than ever, to do international work in an effort to push for distribution of wealth and resources inter and intra nationally, between and within countries. India is a paradox I feel, largely because of the huge gap between the rich and the poor. Read On

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