Sir

Recently there was a story in various media that  India’s tourism Minister Mahesh Sharma had advised the foreign women tourists not to wear skirts and skimpy dresses in India and he had also added that they should not go out alone and should take the picture of cab they are using and send it to their friends for their safety.

But my question is why can’t India give them the guarantee of safety?  India’s tagline for the Ministry of Tourism campaign is ‘Atithi Devo Bhava’ meaning the guest is equivalent to God. Then why do they need to follow these rubbish instructions for their safety?

If wearing short dresses invites problem for the girls and women then why  do those women and girls suffer who wear traditional dresses like saree and suits?

The Minister had also justified his statement by saying that Culture of India is very different from the Western Culture, so they should follow India’s dress code. But do the Indians also have to follow the dress code of the foreigners in foreign country.

Restrictions should be imposed to the foreigners but these idiotic rules should not be imposed. India is a secular country. It respects the tradition and cultures of others and these rules will degrade the image of India.

For the safety of women in India, people need to change their mindset and should stop blaming girls on their dress codes. The government should stop supporting these criminals and should try to overcome the real weakness that is patriarchy.

Yours truly

Seema Kumari, BMC 3^rd year, St. Xavier’s College of Management and Technology, Digha, Patna

  letter to the editor