Personal space

Personal space is a big issue in India. For the most part it just doesn’t exist. You get asked several times a day for a “snap” or photograph which is fun at first, but really annoying after a while. But it’s the people who don’t even ask who really get on your nerves.

That is nothing compared to the amount of unwanted attention a cute, little, Caucasian baby attracts.



This is a letter I posted on our FB page after a particularly infuriating day:


Dear the vast majority of the Indian population that we have encountered over the last month,


TAKE YOUR HANDS OFF MY CHILD.
DO NOT PULL HER OFF OF HER FATHERS SHOULDERS BY HER ARM SO YOU CAN HAVE A "SNAP".
DO NOT ATTEMPT TO RIP HER FROM MY ARMS SO YOU CAN HAVE A SNAP.
DO NOT JUST PICK HER UP AND WALK AWAY WITH HER SO YOU CAN HAVE A SNAP.
DO NOT PINCH HER- SHE HAS SEVERAL RED MARKS ALREADY.
DO NOT LEAD HER AWAY BY THE HAND SO YOU CAN HAVE A SNAP AND DO NOT ENCOURAGE YOUR CHILDREN TO GO AND LURE HER AWAY FROM US SO YOU CAN HAVE A SNAP.
DO NOT TRY TO LURE HER TOWARDS YOU WITH CANDY OR MOBILE PHONES SO YOU CAN HAVE A SNAP AFTER WE HAVE SAID NO.
DO NOT DECLARE “COME” AND EXPECT HER TO GO TO YOU, A COMPLETE STRANGER AND GET ANGRY WITH HER WHEN SHE SAYS NO, ALL SO YOU CAN HAVE A SNAP WITH HER.
IF SHE SAYS NO, IT MEANS NO.


AND LASTLY, IF ONE MORE PERSON SLAPS HER ON THE FACE, I AM REALLY TRULY GOING TO LOSE IT..


Sincerely, two very frustrated parents, and one very clingy and, for the first time in her life, afraid of strangers child.


Thankfully, we haven't been in a situation anywhere near as infuriating as this particular day was since, and slowly but surely Gypsy is starting to trust strangers again. But we are both on guard all the time and have had to resort to a zero tolerance approach which means, no more pictures of that cute, white baby for random Indian strangers....