Gwalior feels unsafe even as a guy — I can only imagine what it feels like for girls
I’ve been living in Gwalior for college for a while now, and honestly, one thing that has really bothered me is how normalised staring and unwanted attention seem to be here.
And I’m saying this as a guy.
Even when I’m just walking around with my girlfriend, there are constantly people staring at her. Not just a casual glance — some people will literally turn around, keep watching, stare at her while we’re passing, or make it obvious enough that both of us notice.
At first I thought maybe I was overreacting. But after experiencing it repeatedly, you start becoming conscious of it every time you go outside.
There have also been situations where groups of guys have stared, smiled, shouted things or behaved in a way that makes you uncomfortable. You don’t necessarily know whether they’re going to actually do something, so you end up staying alert and changing how you move around the city.
And that’s the part that gets me.
I’m a guy and I still feel uncomfortable sometimes.
So I genuinely wonder what it must feel like for a girl who has to deal with this while also knowing that she is physically more vulnerable.
You shouldn’t have to constantly think about:
Who is staring?
Is that person following us?
Should we take another route?
Is it safe for her to go somewhere alone?
Should I walk her back?
What happens if we confront someone and they decide to escalate?
Going out with your girlfriend shouldn’t feel like you’re responsible for providing security simply because other people don’t know how to behave.
I’m not saying every person in Gwalior is like this, and I’m not saying the entire city is some lawless place. There are plenty of decent people here.
But the amount of staring, unwanted attention and general lack of boundaries is something I genuinely wish people would talk about more.
A city shouldn’t just be considered “safe” because nothing happened physically.
If someone can’t walk around without being constantly watched, followed, catcalled or made uncomfortable, that’s already a problem.
And if I, as a guy, have started noticing and feeling uncomfortable about it, I can only imagine how much worse it can feel for women.
Gwalior can do better.