From Bollywood to Violence: How Women Live in India. Journey to India: shock is our way

India attracts with non-standard beauty, openness, friendliness of its inhabitants. Whatever side of life you take, everywhere modernity coexists with traditionalism, which is often surprising. Maybe that's why people in India evaluate life differently.

India is a land of contrasts

The multinationality of the country, the abundance of languages ​​and religions is striking. The "diversity" of the population is explained by the centuries-old mixture of nationalities due to migration processes.

Anyone who has lived in India for a long time is not surprised by the local color, the slums next to the palaces. For beginners, it is difficult at first to take for granted the many cows and dogs on the city streets, the chaos on the roads, the dirt, the variety of smells, the constant hum. And the fact that the standard of living of Indians is very different. There are a lot of millionaires here, but a lot more beggars.

It is not easy to answer the question: "Is India poor or rich?" Some sources write that a third of all poor people live in this state. Moreover, poverty is not considered a vice here. "So it is written in the family" - the main law of karma. Social inequality is on the rise: there is an unbridgeable gulf between the richest and the poorest.

Ecology

Serious environmental problems harm the country and threaten the state of the world as a whole. Among the main ones are deforestation, soil depletion, air and water pollution. There is a lot of precipitation, but the water evaporates quickly, and the pollution of the remaining makes it inaccessible to a large number of the population. Smog in cities is a consequence of oversaturation with transport, the operation of old cars, and the use of low-quality gasoline.

The fact that India is a country where residents do not care about the cleanliness of the environment even at the household level also affects environmental troubles: garbage is thrown right outside the threshold of dwellings, even in prosperous neighborhoods.

But a person does not harm the flora and fauna - the mentality and beliefs are not the same. There are many reserves, numerous projects are being implemented to protect forests, coral reefs, etc.

It is impossible to unequivocally answer the question of how people live in India. Life depends on prosperity. Wealthy urban residents have apartments or houses, cars and even servants. But there are many more families barely making ends meet.

Life in India is absolutely not established. People are indifferent to comfort and convenience. In most apartments, there is not only no hot water supply, but also toilets.

clothing

The most popular women's outfit is a sari - a piece of fabric that envelops a woman from head to toe. We also love the shalwar kameez - trousers and a tunic that are narrow at the ankles. Brilliant numerous decorations are at a premium.

Men (especially in rural areas) also wear cotton linen, with a shirt on top. But there are also jackets fastened with buttons - shervani, sometimes resembling a coat in length. The traditional headdress is a turban, the shape of which depends on the area, faith, and interest.

Given that India is a conservative country, travelers should dress modestly. It is best to wear loose, figure-hide clothing made from light natural fabrics.

Product prices

Cheapness somewhat brightens up the life of the common people in India. 100 rupees at the beginning of April 2020 corresponded to 88 rubles. Compare. The cost in the markets of vegetables is up to 20 rupees, fruits - from 25 to 100 (mangosteen), fish - 200-250, lobsters - 1200. In stores, you can buy chicken for 100, beef - for 220, a dozen eggs - for 50, milk - for 40 rupees. Food prices in India in 2020 are surprising.

Features of Indian cuisine

Food and everything related to its preparation, for Hindus, has a sacred meaning associated with family life.

There are many national features. For example, excessive love for spicy and spicy dishes. Europeans are not ready for this. Unexpected food combinations are also welcome. Fried bananas in tandem with cucumbers and chili peppers are not the most surprising neighborhood on a plate.

The predominant food is rice, peas, vegetables, cheese, flatbread. From meat they prefer lamb, goat meat, poultry. Due to beliefs, beef and pork are generally not eaten. Desserts with milk, nuts, rice, honey, fruits, spices are varied and tasty.

It is important for travelers to remember simple rules:

• wash your hands more often;
• drink only bottled water;
• try national dishes with caution, order them without local spices;
• do not neglect fennel, which can be found in any catering establishment and will help to avoid stomach problems.

Families are large, several generations live in the same house. It is allowed to marry only a representative of one's caste and religion, by agreement of the parents of a young man and a girl. There are usually many children. There are practically no divorces. The head of the family is the eldest man, he solves all the problems of the household, they give him the money he earns.

Many are interested in how women live in India? Also differently. For the poor, already in the womb, the girl becomes unwanted, and they try to get rid of her. If born, they can unobtrusively contribute to leaving for another world. All because the girl will have to marry. And for this to pay a kind of kalym. It means that you have to work hard all your life to accumulate the required amount. She will not have the right to vote, even when she becomes a wife. You have to work a lot, unless, of course, she is married to a very wealthy person. This one does not work anywhere, she has a lot of beautiful clothes and jewelry, she is not offended, especially if she gives birth to sons. But she is not treated in the same way as a poor woman.

Violence and discrimination concern women of Indian origin to a greater extent, foreign women feel freer. Russian wives speak well or badly about the country and their life in it, depending on whether they successfully married. If a man is independent and decides to live outside the clan, or if the parents' family is educated and not poor and approved of his son's choice, then life can be said to be successful. There will be inconveniences related to climate, food, utilities, but in general, everything is not much different from the existence of an average Russian family.

Housing cost

Real estate in India attracts investors with its affordability. Housing is purchased mainly in large cities and resort areas, where it can be profitably leased. They also buy non-residential premises - for trade or production.

The cost of a small apartment in Goa is about 10 thousand dollars. Away from the coastal zone for 60 thousand dollars, you can buy a spacious apartment with a good repair. In the largest cities, the price of 1 sq. m of housing - at least $ 950, and often reaches 20 thousand.

It is possible to buy a hut in the countryside. Only the quality of housing is low and there are no amenities. In addition, you will have to be all the time where the Indians live around. Not everyone likes it.

Acquired real estate must be declared and taxed on it in a timely manner, the amount of which each state independently approves.

Where do they work

The national unemployment rate is skyrocketing. In this situation, it is problematic for an immigrant from Russia, even for a good specialist, to find a job. You can evaluate the possibilities in the article "".

The illegal labor force is being identified and expelled from the country.

Wages

The average salary of Indians is much lower than in other countries. Based on per capita income, the average worker should receive approximately $2,700 per year. But a third of the total cash flow goes to highly paid workers, who make up no more than 10%.

The minimum wage for the village is 4,000 rupees ($60), more than half of all workers receive it. In practice, this is a living wage. The average hourly rate can be as low as 30-60 cents. Employees of private companies receive more ($120), less - state ($75). Salary levels vary by industry.

In order for an immigrant to obtain a work visa, one must find a job that will pay over $2,000 per month. This is possible if you manage to get a job in a foreign company, for example, in the IT field. They pay based on European values.

Education system in India

The level of general education in the country is low, there are many illiterate people. But the education system in 2020 includes all the traditional stages: preschool, school, vocational, higher and postgraduate.

Education state and non-state. The second is intended for both children and adolescents, as well as for adults. A 40-year-old student is not uncommon.

Kindergartens are preparatory groups of schools, already here acquaintance with the English language begins, which is mandatory for studying at school, where children come from the age of 4. The first 10 years they study for free and according to a single program, then students are divided into those who will master the profession and those who continue their education.

The average private school is paid, but accessible to the average family.

Higher education is represented by more than two hundred universities, mainly focused on European standards. Depending on the period of study and the future profession, students receive bachelor's, master's, doctoral degrees.

For foreigners, admission to local universities gives the right to obtain a residence permit. Diligent study leads to strong knowledge and guarantees decent employment in the country. Therefore, studying in India is popular among those who would like to stay in the country for a long time.

Education in India is no worse than in Europe, America and China. Universities produce well-trained specialists. Russians have the opportunity to study for free, count on a hostel and a scholarship. The main condition is excellent knowledge of English.

Medical level

There is no free healthcare in India. Many private clinics of narrow specialization. Their services are cheaper than in state medical centers - most of them are well-equipped, with highly qualified doctors who receive good salaries. Their services are used by wealthy locals and foreigners. The so-called medical tourism is the most developed here. This is facilitated by the low cost of services compared to the United States and Israel, for example. As well as adherence to traditional methods of treatment set forth in Ayurveda and which have many followers around the world, which is used for commercial purposes.

For the majority of local residents, quality health care is not available. Hospitals in remote areas serve patients in unsuitable rooms, often without electricity, water, or medicines. Theoretically, assistance is free, in fact, they charge a fee for the appointment, focusing on the patient's income.

Childbirth often takes place at home, under the supervision of a midwife or mother-in-law. If in the clinic, then, as a rule, a caesarean section is offered. Natural childbirth must be negotiated additionally. The statistics are relentless: maternal and child mortality in India is perhaps the highest in the world.

Tourists need to purchase medical insurance, which includes a basic insurance option and, if desired, various options.

Russians in India

There are no more than a thousand Russians with Indian citizenship and permanent residence, they mostly settled in Delhi. But unofficially lives much more. It is believed that Russians go to India for spirituality, the search for the meaning of life, and perfection in yoga. There are also many merchants, but most of the "Russian Indians" are the wives of local men. To understand how Russians live in India, you need to talk to them. The country is exotic, natural, living conditions are specific and represent a serious test for Europeans.

The attitude of indigenous people to Russian immigrants

The close cooperation between India and the former Soviet Union has influenced how Russians are treated today. Memories are pleasant, but they are immediately clouded when immigrants behave inappropriately, not recognizing the traditions, beliefs, customs of local residents. For example, ardent Hindus and Muslims treat Christians badly. Separate cases of Russophobia occur. “Russians” here refers to all immigrants from the former Soviet Union.

Where live

Russians are easier to meet in large cities and resort areas. In Mumbai, housing is the most expensive, but the city is considered safe to live in. And it is easier to find a job than, for example, in Delhi, where life is more comfortable and a little cheaper, but unemployment and crime are high. Bangalore is attractive due to its modern infrastructure, affordable housing prices, especially rented ones. But the state of Goa is the most popular, and immigrants mainly seek it there.

Features of life in Goa

India through the eyes of Russians is, for the most part, “Goa through the eyes of Russians”. A resort is a resort. The local settlers are satisfied with life and are not going to leave here. Children are sent to English schools, then they pay for education in good universities. The tourism business brings in a decent income. Compatriots are served not at local, but at European rates. There are many Russian restaurants and shops, they need labor, the owners prefer to take “their own”. Some live on odd jobs. Those who know English have a chance to get a job as a seller or a guide. Masseurs, dancers, animators are in demand.

True, foreigners are limited in their rights. But the Russian consulate, if necessary, helps to restore justice.

Comparison of lifestyle in India and Russia

The pros and cons of the life of Russians in an ancient original country can be imagined in comparison with Russia.

	Russia	India
standard of living	37th in the world	104 in the world
culture	Needs improvement	Completely absent, public chaos
	Accessible to the majority of the population	Most of the population is not available
People	People are sociable and friendly for the most part	Closed and unsociable with foreigners
Society	Not indifferent to what is happening, people strive to improve the situation	Indifference to everything. Satisfied with the life that is.
Communication	In Russian or any other language	Exclusively in English or Hindi
Education	Constant striving to learn new things and improve	Poor education of the population, the inability for the bulk of the population to study

India is an extremely interesting, colorful and attractive country for tourists. Few think about permanent residence. But if spiritually drawn here, it will provide an opportunity for self-improvement.

India is a beautiful country. Tourists who came to rest at the resort and did not visit the province may not be aware that how to live in india simple people. The majority of the population, almost eighty percent, are rural people employed in agriculture. Education is at a very low level, a little more than fifty percent of the inhabitants can read and write. Almost thirty percent can't even write. Contrast in everyday Indian life between different strata of society is striking. The age-old caste system and Hinduism, which professes the inevitability of fate, have accustomed people to a calm perception of everyday difficulties of life. Indians are very calm about the complete lack of comfort. Moreover, this applies not only to the poor.

You can often see a well-dressed person just sleeping on the sidewalk. And next to him perched a stray dog. Such philosophical practices as yoga, Ayurveda allow a person to take a different look at the world around him. People who profess these teachings perceive reality differently. The need for material is reduced many times over. In India, in connection with the thousand-year-old culture based on these teachings, people are very calm about the lack of the benefits of civilization. Although Europeans are sometimes shocked by this attitude of the local population. For example, in India, a husband has every right to put his wife in the form of a bank bond, and this will be in the order of things. Complete disregard for the rules of personal hygiene allows various skin and intestinal diseases to grow in a riotous color. Child mortality remains very high. All this is combined with India's clear economic successes and rapid economic growth. Large Indian companies successfully compete in the international market in light industry, agriculture, and high technologies. India launches rockets with satellites, builds nuclear power plants. Despite this, it remains the leader of countries with a very low standard of living.

Where to go to rest in India, more:.

wedding in india

Still in high gear contractual weddings in india. Parents agree in advance on the marriage of their children and after that no one asks the consent or disagreement of the newlyweds. This is a kind of analogue of a wedding contract. The only exception is that the wife is transferred to the full ownership of the husband. It becomes part of his property. At the same time, the bride and groom can only see each other after the wedding ceremony, and then surprises can await them. Indian weddings are different. The guests first dance, sing and have fun in every possible way, and only then they sit down at the wedding table and the feast begins. Weddings in the villages and the city are very different. This happens not only because in the city they are, as a rule, much smarter and richer. But also because there is no electricity in the villages, the festivities stop at sunset. Although India is rapidly entering the twenty-second century, caste boundaries are very zealously observed and it is very unlikely that young people will be from different castes.

Temples of India and their inhabitants

There are a huge number of active temples in india. Many people live on their territory, worshiping the deities of these temples. Moreover, these deities can be quite peculiar. There are temples dedicated to rats, monkeys, crocodiles, cows, and many other animals. People protect them and take care of them. This attitude comes from the foundations of Hinduism. Since they believe that the soul after death can enter the body of any living being. It all depends on how much a person led a righteous lifestyle during his lifetime. It is quite possible to be in the body of a rat or a monkey, so they take care of them. Basically, the monks of these temples live within the walls of these ancient structures and try to achieve the state of samadhi, that is, inner initiation. True, most of them believe that one can achieve initiation without exhausting prayers, but simply walk around in orange robes, beg, and smoke charas. Monks of India- this is a special caste, they do not bother themselves with work, but are content with what nature gives them.

City life in India

Against the background of the life of poor peasants in provinces of India life in urban areas is very different. For example, the home of a local billionaire is located in Mumbai. This twenty-seven-story fortress makes a grandiose impression. Even in his garages, only crystal chandeliers are lit. The building has nine elevators ready to take visitors up to three helipads. A huge number of rooms allows the owner to relax daily in different rooms, and all this splendor is adjacent to the darkest slums of the city. Only six people live in this giant house, spread over thirty-seven hectares. The owner himself, his mother, wife and children. Nearby, in the slums, without water, light and basic amenities, more than twelve thousand people huddle. According to experts, more than sixty percent of the eighteen million city live in slums. And this does not appeal to the local residents of a special protest. It's crazy for us to see such a luxury, knowing that two-thirds of the citizens of the country live on two dollars a day, and one in three children suffer from malnutrition.

India's economic miracle

Example Minister of India in his speech just recently said that "No force can stop the country on the path to progress." The government of India backs up its words with deeds, and now it is one of the leaders in IT technologies. Experts in this field, who once went to Silicon Valley to earn money, are now happy to return to their homeland. They are paid no less than in America, and the cost of living is much less. India actively attracts specialists in high-precision production, such specialists willingly go to work in large cities of India. Residents of cities in India have the opportunity to watch more than four hundred private TV channels. Perhaps there is no such choice in more than one country in the world. The export of arms to other countries is at a very high level. The growth of light industry ensures the growth of jobs. India has such ambitious plans as a flight to Mars in the near future. Truly, this is a country of contrasts, where fabulous wealth coexists with no less fabulous poverty.

Resorts of India: life near the sea

Life in India near the sea fundamentally different from life anywhere else in the country. Everything is set to meet any needs of tourists. The tourism business is a very significant part of the country's income. He is given special attention. If in the provinces electricity is a curiosity, then on the resort coasts, nightlife is colored with multi-colored lamps that never go out. Life in the resort area has a completely different rhythm. There are always a lot of people here. You won't see any. The local police are very careful about this and try not to bother tourists. Although the caste of beggars is very numerous and ubiquitous, if you carelessly give large alms, then you will be pursued by crowds of beggars throughout the rest, passing each other like a kind of prize. Therefore, once in India, you need to be careful so that Christian mercy does not play a cruel joke. The staff working in the resort area is quite well educated. He has good qualifications. Numerous communities live in Goa, consisting of citizens of different countries, united by one idea. Therefore, their life is very different from life in cities.

Read more about yoga in the article:.

Yogis of India

This caste of people is absolutely different from others. They strive, by means of improving the spiritual, mental and physical abilities of their body, to reach a state where the physical needs of the body begin to be covered by spiritual ones. There are cases when yogis who have reached a high level of self-consciousness could neither breathe, nor eat, nor sleep for weeks. Various schools in india and temples teach all who wish to comprehend this art. But achieving perfection is not easy. There are many branches of yoga. They are very different. Goals can be set different - from improving health to achieving enlightenment. Most often, it all comes down to the study of elementary physical exercises that do not affect the aspects of improving the spirit and soul. Europeans are usually content with this.

Stunning vacation in Goa, video:

Much is said about how badly poor people live in India, but less is written about the life of rich people in this country. However, there are many rich people in India.

Crystal and rubies in the interiors of houses: myth or reality

When it comes to the life of rich people, what do we immediately imagine? Of course, the inlay of various items with precious stones, crystal chandeliers, as well as furniture made from the most expensive types of wood. And all this certainly shines, sparkles, dazzles, shimmers and shimmers.

However, such a representation ultimately turns out to be nothing more than a stereotyped vision.

Take the house of a famous Indian actor named Rajinikanth. Its interior looks like this:

It is quite impressive and large-scale, but in its content it is more like not a palace, but rather a house in which ordinary wealthy Indians live. Most of the houses of Indian celebrities have the following features:

1. Minimalism. Many celebrities in their own home want to feel cozy and comfortable, and not like in the walls of the Louvre. Therefore, all items that are chosen to decorate a home can be quite expensive, but they look noble and modest.
2. Loft style. Celebrities also follow fashion and are not indifferent to what interiors and styles are trending. Given the fact that the loft style has started to gain momentum, many wealthy people in India have begun to create loft interiors in their homes.
3. All the colorful elements are more exotic for, and the rich people of India want to see more of a European style in their home.

The glass interior of Rajinikanth looks quite stylish, but still, life in a transparent house is perhaps not as cozy as it seems at first glance. All the same, there is a feeling that the media is constantly trying to follow you.

Entertainment and additional elements

Naturally, the homes of rich people in India have not only elegantly furnished rooms, but also additional entertainment and hobby items that can be compared in luxury to imperial palaces. Here is where there is definitely room to roam:

This is the home of a billionaire named Mukesh Ambani, who built his own mansion, spending a billion dollars on it. He built a house for himself, his wife and sons. It has 27 floors, luxurious living rooms, comfortable bedrooms, as well as additional rooms, such as a pool and a billiard room.

It is worth noting that in order to manage such a huge building, Mukesh needed to hire 600 people. In addition to the main rooms, Mukesh has a parking lot that can easily accommodate 160 cars, as well as a huge gym, in which he himself likes to spend time.

In addition, Ambani has an entire dance studio and his own home theater in his house, which can accommodate 50 people. The house has a magnificent observation deck with a wonderful view. There are several helipads on the roof of this skyscraper.

62 year old Irina Alexandrovna from Magnitogorsk says in India to a waiter in Hindi with displeasure: “Be careful. Why did you bring naan cakes with cheese unbaked? I'm not your tourist!" The waiter turns pale, mumbles something and disappears. “It’s the only way with them,” Irina says sternly. “Otherwise, they will definitely deceive you.”

She says that she moved to India immediately after graduation: “I was 25, in my last year I jumped out to marry Raj. He is 10 years older, looked after beautifully, and I was a girl not spoiled by attention. Such love flared up, passion - all the friends were envious.

The wedding was played in two countries in turn - both in the USSR and in India. Irina admits that at first she was shocked by the country. “I thought it was like in a movie. Well, princesses are beautiful, temples, palaces, elephants, coconut trees, dancing on every corner. And on the first day, a snake crawled into my bedroom - I squealed so much, I woke up the whole house. Raj calmly crushed her with his foot, saying, well, nothing, it happens. Mud on the streets of the mountain, beggars crawling in scabs, torrential rains for 3 months in a row ... Romance has diminished. I wanted terribly smoked brisket and doctor's sausage, they just dreamed about it, but you can't buy it anywhere. I'm tired of fighting cockroaches, nothing can poison them: they are healthy, the size of a finger. Raj kept laughing: with our cockroaches, they say, it is not necessary to fight, but to be friends. But Raj loved me madly, and I loved him, and this is the most important thing.

Five years ago, Irina Alexandrovna's husband died, but she no longer wants to return to Russia. “There is no point. I chat in Hindi, wear a sari, go to the market with my local girlfriends to buy chili peppers for green beans in curry. I watch Indian serials how good conquers evil, and the poor with beautiful souls are better than the disgusting rich. I like it here, in general."

Photo: / George Zotov

mother-in-law and white horse

I was not told the exact number of women from the Russian Federation living in India, but their approximate number is estimated at several tens of thousands: from 30,000 to 70,000. Basically, these are our girls who married Indians during the period of great friendship between the USSR and India in the sixties and eighties years of the 20th century, when many Indian students studied in the Soviet Union, and all Soviet ladies burst into cinemas to watch "Disco Dancer". India seemed to be a mystical and alluring "abroad". Those who arrived after the nineties did not particularly develop with the exotic.

“The climate is terrible, the heat is sticky,” complains the 28-year-old Victoria from Krasnodar, who settled in Kerala with her Tamil husband in 2012. - Always keep the air conditioner on - electricity bills will come in space: so sit by the fan, which drives hot air. The sun burns the skin: I thought I would become dark-skinned to the envy of everyone, but constantly under the cream. There is nothing to do at all. In India, it is not customary for wives to work: even the poorest husbands have their women at home. At first I said that I wanted to become a tourist guide, my mother-in-law scolded me: are you out of your mind? What will the neighbors say about my son if his wife goes to work? And mothers-in-law in India have more authority than in Russia, they do not dare to object to them. We had a great wedding: we celebrated for three days, music, dancing, tons of flowers, the groom came for me on a white horse. The main thing in marriage in India is children, they give birth to a lot, but I was not ready for this. I thought: well, after thirty years we’ll start ... Scandals began every day: “Why don’t you want to? The purpose of a woman in the world is a child! ”And they are definitely waiting for a boy to give birth:“ the weaker sex ”is not in price. Such cases are not uncommon: if a wife finds out on an ultrasound scan that she is pregnant with a girl, she has an abortion on family recommendation. We were not officially divorced, although I returned to Krasnodar. I fly to India only for the winter, then it’s good here, you can even swim in the sea. The husband sighs, of course, but doesn't mind. He loves me."

god with tail and banana

The main "scarecrow" for our women in India is animals and insects. “God, how tired of monkeys I am! - angry Marina, a former resident of Veliky Ustyug. - Brazen as hell, they can pull an earring out of your ear, buy a bag of nuts on the street to eat - they will jump on your shoulder, snatch it right out of your hands. So I would have hit the monkey with an umbrella: they are dangerous, they infect all sorts of diseases. But you can't, the monkey is a sacred animal. The Indians swear at them, they can brandish a stick, but never to hit them. Like, they are divine. Damn, what kind of god can be with a tail and a banana ?!

“My constant life partner in India is dichlorvos,” says Aleksandra, a 35-year-old Khabarovsk resident who has lived in Trivandrum for 10 years. - Ants hesitated, spiders, some midges: they bite, then you will itch for a month. Mosquitoes carry dengue fever and malaria. At first, she didn’t leave the house without being splashed with repellents, then she waved her hand ... Well, why, not everyone gets sick in a row. You have to be careful, but don't panic."

But with elephants, everyone has excellent relations.

“My neighbor keeps three elephants,” Alexandra says. - Funny, such a colossus, but calm, like a cow. And when an elephant with a driver walks through the city, he obediently stops at a red light: already accustomed. Many of our ladies have a hard time with Indian food. Irina Alexandrovna, who dreamed of a doctor's sausage, explains: her late husband was a vegetarian, and she had to "reformat" herself.

Photo: / George Zotov

“When he was courting me, I didn’t pay attention: well, he eats only salads, and okay, who doesn’t like cucumbers and tomatoes. And after they came to India, it turned out that they don’t eat meat and chicken in the family. Some nightmare! Then I got involved, now I don’t use meat of my own free will: somehow it’s easier to feel, calmer. Fruits, vegetables, milk, paneer cheese - that's it. The first year of my life together, I tried to accustom my husband to Russian food. I mix Olivier - he doesn’t eat, damn it, even vegetarian. But you can’t make a herring under a fur coat, there are no such products. There are girls who haven’t been used to Indian food even for thirty years: they go to the store at the Russian embassy in Delhi, where our products are exorbitantly expensive: they grit their teeth, the poor, but they buy.

"Fool, ruined karma"

“If you like being a housewife, you live like Christ in your bosom,” says the 57-year-old Ludmila, who moved to India in 1984 from Saratov. - Just keep an eye on the house, and you are showered with gifts, cherished, cherished, carried in your arms. She gave birth to her first child - the father-in-law and mother-in-law gave gold, bracelets, rings, earrings did not know what to do with. They love children; Don't drink: Most Indians rarely drink alcohol, it's not in their culture. If someone comes home drunk, they gather advice from relatives and scold him: the fool, they say, spoiled his karma. Morals are strict: if I put on European clothes, so that the dress is necessarily below the knee, this is not Goa, where everyone goes half-naked. I love the Indian sari. A healthy thing: size does not matter, I bought matter, wrapped myself up and went to myself. I was bored at first, of course, did not know what to do. You always stick around at home, if you go out for a walk alone - it’s not accepted, you must definitely be together either with your sister or with your husband’s mother. I used to think that in India, whole crowds dance on the sidewalks, like in a movie. Oh, I was wrong."

It is surprising that girls from the regions of Russia, having arrived in India, speak local dialects, wear saris, learn how to cook complex Indian dishes and cope with the heat: although, of course, it was very difficult for them. Here's my word of honor: we don't value our women the way they really deserve it.

A 19-year-old Rajasthan man was sentenced to death for raping a seven-month-old girl. Recently, the number of sexual crimes has increased in India, the country is in the ranking of the most dangerous for women. Russian women who lived in India told Snob about the place of a woman in Indian society, harassment and rape attempts

India, 6 May 2018. The man in the photo is accused of raping and setting fire to a 17-year-old girl. Photo: AFP

According to the Thomson Reuters Foundation, India has become the most dangerous country in the world for women: about 40 crimes are committed against them every hour. The problem has become so acute that in April of this year, the Indian government introduced the death penalty for the rape of girls under 12 years old and increased the minimum prison term for those whose victims were under 16 to 20 years. sexual harassment and voyeurism.

Fatal sex crimes became punishable by death after the publicity of the gang rape of a student on a bus, which occurred in 2012 in Delhi. The girl was abused by six men and thrown out of the bus to the side of the road. Doctors fought for her life, but they failed to save the girl. After that, mass protests took place across the country, and the government was forced to toughen penalties for sexual crimes.

Another high-profile story happened in 2017. In northern India, a 10-year-old girl gave birth, who became pregnant as a result of rape. The pregnancy of the girl became known for a period of more than 20 weeks, when it was already too late to have an abortion. At the same time, the girl herself did not know about the child, she was told that she had a large stone in her stomach that needed to be removed. After a caesarean section, the girl's family abandoned the child, and her uncle was detained on suspicion of rape.

However, not only local women, but also tourists are raped in India. In early May of this year, in the Indian state of Kerala, police found the headless corpse of a woman who was identified as a 33-year-old Latvian tourist who had disappeared a month earlier. The woman came to India to be treated for depression and disappeared. The police found that two local residents drugged her, raped her, and then beheaded her. The suspects were detained.

In India, women suffer not only from sexual crimes. In Jaipur, a young man poured acid on a woman after refusing to marry him. At the same time, the victim was already officially married and had three children.

A 35-year-old woman from Lucknow was the victim of an acid attack for the fifth time a year ago. She was first raped and doused with acid in 2008 over a property dispute. The same men threw acid in her face in 2012 and 2013 to force her to drop the charge. The next time, they made me drink acid in front of my daughter. The men were arrested but soon released on bail. After that, the woman was attacked on the territory of a special guarded shelter.

Russian women who lived and worked in India for some time told Snob how they escaped annoying attention, harassment and what they did to avoid becoming victims of rape.

"Village men perceive white women as porn stars"

Ekaterina, 33 years old

Ekaterina has been living in India for several years. She first came to the country in 2010, two years later she took yoga teacher training courses in Dharamsala and got a job there as an English translator for Russian tourists. For three years she lived in India for half a year, and then returned to Russia for 1-2 months. In 2015, Ekaterina moved to Delhi, found a job there in her specialty, and last year she married an Indian.

Now I work as a teacher, I have both Indian children and expat children in my students. In advanced and wealthy families, parents invest a lot of money in the comprehensive education of children. In poor families, parents sometimes do not send their daughters to school, as they will still be housewives. The government is trying to fight this and organizes all sorts of courses (such as cutting and sewing) for women, creating jobs. Therefore, in India, you can buy fabrics with handmade embroidery very cheaply.

Before marriage, from 2015 to 2017, I rented accommodation in Delhi in various areas, including disadvantaged ones. She went and went everywhere alone. Sometimes I returned from work late, after midnight, but I didn’t get into the story. In large cities and tourist areas, it is quite safe for a woman, if you do not get drunk to unconsciousness in nightclubs, do not accept drinks and sweets from strangers (there were cases when drugs were added to sweets), do not wear too revealing clothes, do not go to visit and do not invite to your room, do not get into cars with strangers or unfamiliar men. It is better to meet someone in public places. You should not travel alone to non-tourist places, villages, it is better to travel as part of a group or with a man. You need to behave confidently and, in case of danger, shout loudly and threaten the police.

There are a lot of foreigners in Delhi. Most locals treat them with respect, because they think that all foreigners are very rich. Only villagers perceive white women as porn stars (in Western films they show everything on TV) and stare at them.

Traditional Indian society does not accept revealing clothes: women in mini, tight and low-cut clothes are considered prostitutes. In large cities, this is treated more calmly, you can even see Indian women in such clothes.

India is very different from north to south and from west to east. Matriarchy reigns in some northeastern states and in some places in the south. The woman is the head of the family and inherits land and property. In other parts of the country, there is a rigid patriarchy: a woman becomes a housewife after marriage, even if she is rich and well educated. In some Hindu-Orthodox families, women do not go out alone without a husband or his relatives, they sit at home. In such families, inter-caste and inter-religious marriages are not welcome, and often such love stories end in “honor killings”. Marriages are usually concluded by agreement, in accordance with the caste, the position of the family in society, material wealth, education, etc. Sometimes a dauri (dowry) is demanded from the bride's family - many crimes against women occur for this reason. It happens that after the wedding, the husband's family asks for more and more money, morally and physically put pressure on the woman, sometimes it ends in suicide. By law, it is forbidden to demand dauri, but many follow the traditions. All of the above applies to orthodox Hindus from northern and central India. Fortunately, in large cities, everything is not so: now there are a lot of modern families where women work and do not have any restrictions from their husbands. Many Indians study abroad, many have relatives in Europe and America.

Most of the crimes against women involve Indian women, not foreign women.

The government is trying to fight crimes against women: there are many crisis centers and helplines in the country. You can even complain to the police about obscene suggestions and comments from men. I know a case when a woman hailed a taxi, and a pervert taxi driver was driving and masturbating. She filmed it on her phone camera, pressed the panic button on the app, and the police arrived. He was arrested and later sentenced to a real prison term.

India, Mumbai. October 10, 2014. Chinese Reshma brother-in-law and friends tied up and doused with acid. The court awarded her compensation of 100,000 rupees ($1,600) to be paid within 15 days. Five months later she still hasn't received a penny Photo: Indranil Mukkherjee / AFP

"The vast majority of Indian men are horny maniacs"

Maria, 31 years old

Maria lived twice in India for 9-10 months, with her boyfriend and alone. And these two times turned out to be very contrasting. After the second trip, the girl became disillusioned with Indian men "for the rest of her life."

In 2010, my boyfriend opened a yoga center in the southern state of Karnataka, and I met tourists and took care of organizational issues.

Two years later, I returned to India alone, with nostalgic feelings, dreaming of seeing the state of Rajasthan, returning to the old places, and that's when my rose-colored glasses broke. I settled in Jaipur and got a job as a teacher of Russian and English at a school. I had only 10 minutes to go to work, but they were enough in full: many men just stopped and frankly stared, every day someone came up and asked me for a phone number, invited me somewhere. They usually started with What is your name?, and the third or fourth question was already Do you have a boyfriend? Can I be your boyfriend? After some time, I simply stopped answering their questions, because communication with a simple Indian man always ends up like this. There are exceptions - rich, well-educated men who studied abroad and saw the world.

Sometimes men just asked me to take a picture with me, and then tried to grope. More than once I was grabbed by different places by men passing by on a moped. The vast majority of Indian men are preoccupied maniacs. In Jaipur, I completely forgot that you can wear clothes that expose your legs and shoulders. I dressed very closed, and then there was a little less attention.

Sometimes I went out of town to the sea. Once I went far from the main beach. A teenager came up to me and started asking me something, and then tried to grab my chest. I was frightened, cracked him on the arm and rushed to run. Then I thought that I could handle the frail guy, but then I got really scared.

I had expat friends in Jaipur. We sometimes went to hang out with them in nightclubs. One day I went home alone, in a tuk-tuk. It was about three in the morning. When we arrived at the house, the rickshaw demanded that I pay more than the agreed amount. I thought he was talking about money, but then the rickshaw jumped out of the tuk-tuk and grabbed my chest. I screamed like crazy. The rickshaw got scared and ran away.

I have also been to Goa. They got used to white people there, but even there an unpleasant story happened to me. We - three guys and three girls - went there to celebrate the New Year. But we couldn’t dance in any club: the locals surrounded us in a tight ring and tried to hug the girls, even if the guys tried to block us.

And these stories are not scary compared to some others. At the time when I lived in India, the story about a tourist from Denmark thundered all over the world. She came to Delhi alone, got lost and followed some men who promised to show her the way. They raped her with the whole crowd.

Until recently, I believed in people and tried not to stigmatize men. Until I had an unfortunate incident with a teacher from our school. He was a respected man, with a good reputation, married, with children. He was the last person I would have suspected of indecent behavior. One evening I was returning home and ran into him not far from my house. He said that he was waiting for his friend, he was late for half an hour, and asked if it was possible to wait for him at my place. I naively agreed. Half an hour later, I realized that a friend is unlikely to come. My colleague was not going to call him, but he began to behave strangely, and then suddenly asked: Can I kiss you? I replied that it was probably time for him to go home, and threatened to tell his wife and the headmaster about everything.

By the end of my stay in India, I wanted to crack every man who came up to me. I left Jaipur with the feeling that I had had enough India for the rest of my life and that I was completely disillusioned with the Indians. They don’t stare at local women like that and they won’t come up with an offer to have sex, at least there is some ostentatious respect. But foreign women, from their point of view, sleep with everyone.

“It is impossible to avoid attention and prejudice towards yourself”

Anastasia, 27 years old

Anastasia married an Indian and periodically visits his homeland in Bangalore. It is difficult for her to get used to the traditional position of a woman in Indian society.

In principle, it is not dangerous for Indian women to walk the streets if they dress and behave according to the traditions of society. Local girls who choose their own partner, place of work, study, meet people from a different caste, go to parties, go against the system. Their behavior is not approved, and they can get into trouble.

Foreigners need to be extra careful. Due to the color of their skin and the stereotypes inherent in Indian society, white women are considered easy-going, frivolous and vulgar. Therefore, it is better for white girls not to go out at night, they need to behave and look modest. Ideally, you should go out with one of the Indians - this will make your life much easier. Since I went everywhere with my husband and mother-in-law, they protected me from many dangers. However, avoiding attention and prejudice against yourself is impossible. Thanks to the constant protection in the person of my husband's relatives, I did not encounter open manifestations of harassment. But she constantly caught the greasy looks of men on herself: many stare and undress with their eyes, regardless of age and marital status.

In India, you need to break yourself in many ways, be flexible, adapt. Indian society is absolutely patriarchal, so the woman here is engaged in housework, serving her husband's parents and raising children. People often ask me not “How is your studies or work?”, but “How is work in the kitchen? What are you cooking for your husband? It was very difficult to get used to it.