Really - how 'dangerous' is Delhi?

omshanti

So, a question – albeit a very subjective one – informed by personal experiences and definitions – yet still interested in hearing from fellow Delhites and travelers.

I have been to India, including Delhi, several times, travelled in the north and south,lived in Goa six months, traveled on my own, etc. etc. Am a big city girl and of the mentality that ‘anything can happen anywhere’ – yet – for some reason hearing all these comments about the ‘dangers of Delhi’ are starting to make me wonder if I can handle it –

Am moving there shortly for a year or so – and would like to like to know whether basic street sense is enough or if it takes more to reside safely in Delhi?......maybe it's just pre-moving jitters, anyhow, interested to hear people's responses.

Thanks.

kidsan

hi om
i would say that living there is a very different kettle of fish from visiting as a tourist.

That said, from my experience of delhi, which is probably 5 or 6 times for a few days each time, is that it is quite safe. Now admittedly, the windows of my hotel were blown in last year when the bomb went off in tooti chowk (i had just popped out 2 mins before!) but, aside from that quite exceptional experience, i really have not had any problems in delhi and am almost beginning to enjoy it

rahul__rahul__

Its more of basic street sense, and common sense like not walking at abandoned alleys in some poor slum late at night.

cdrake

Delhi(new delhi, gurgaon, noida, trans jamuna) is EXACTLY like washington DC in terms of how it's dangerous(or not) and how it's to be negotiated.

The men in a delhi bus are perhaps just a tad more agressive and biker like, but othervice a perfect one to one mapping is possible between DC and delhi.

there's no equivalent of old delhi/chandni chowk in DC, but from monuments to politacl types to upscale suburbs to street crime in some areas....

mk26in

dangerous ? Not at all ?

Whoerver told you Delhi is dangerous, might have not thought of other metropoliton cities of world, which have same amount of troubles.

Just come here without any preconceived opinion.
And believe us fellow IMers, you'll love Delhi

Mk

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capt_mahajan

to put things in persepective, a single female has to be more careful in north and central india than elsewhere in the country.
delhi is north india.

so, be more careful.

SMARTGUY

Many of the factors that make Delhi unsafe for women are common to other cities as well.

�� A poor urban environment - dark or badly lighted streets, derelict parks and empty lots, badly maintained public spaces, inadequate signage, lack of public toilets.
�� Empty streets at night because of early closing of shops and businesses or lack of a tradition of street life.
�� Poor public transport and rude/unhelpful/abusive behaviour of bus drivers and conductors.
�� Insufficient presence and unresponsive/aggressive attitudes of police and civic authorities.
�� Isolation from neighbours and lack of community life.
�� Traditional notions of privacy and refusal of neighbours/police to intervene in situations of domestic violence.
�� Ideas and beliefs about appropriate behaviour, leading to reluctance to protest in cases of public violence.
�� A ‘macho’ culture and a lack of respect for women and women’s rights, leading to cases of violence being ignored or trivialised by the general public as well as those in positions of authority.

We are the same people everywhere, we all feel and suffer and love in the same way, and we all want to be fulfilled in our lives.What counts as fulfilment may differ from time to time, culture to culture and city to city, Delhi has so much variety, simply because of the long history and influx of people from all around delhi.

Omshanti I have answered your question(dangerous part), but I invite here I'mikers to come forward and add few lines about Delhi's best.

rohan5577

basic street sense should see you through almost perfectly

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capt_mahajan

smartguy, the macho culture bit is what i believe is the main reason why north india is generally less safe. or, lack of respect for women.

delhis best? well, besides the culture of the city which i dislike, the best things about delhi are

-proximity to the himalayas, the desert and everything in between except beaches.
- history within delhi, specially the forts, colonial delhi, nizamuddin for sufi history...
-probably, in parts, the best maintained city in the country.

richwar

I hope not!
Washington D.C maintains it's "murder Capital Of The World"status.

greenchutney

pepper spray always helps

more seriously though, when you come in, just join some local groups..either in your area or nearby place. groups for charity or sport or hobby clubs, get into the community, some community of like-minded folks atleast for the settling period..and i am sure you will get plenty of do's and don'ts from these seasoned folks or local single women.

cdrake

for every drug killing in DC there's a woman cooked ...raped or set on fire by the evil mother in law in delhi...but as I said, i think delhi's law and order problems are exactly like DC's(ie they are specific to some socioeconomic sections of it's society. Unlike in bombay where the guy next door would be shot in a gang related killing but you'd not even know about it because you're so alienated from him...(like in NYC) or Bangalore, which is something like six cities living contiguously ,each minding it's own business or chennai or hyderabad ,which are so settled socially that socioeconomic groups(even sometimes religious groups) living side by side do not mix socially , delhi is an "in your face " kind of a place , where you'll probably run inot everyone everywhere. you just need to know how to handle this.

Yogesh Sarkar

Depends on how you look at it, Delhi has a population of around 16million with a population density of 9340 per sq kms and a literacy rate of 81.76%(2001 census). Not to forget scores of people come from NCR and other states to Delhi each day.

When you have so many people you also bound to have larger no of reported crime.

Now what I would like to see is some one doing a break down of crime per 1000 person and then comparing it with other major cities.

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omshanti

thanks everyone for your reponses.

I agree that anything can happen anywhere and I think, more than anything, I am apprehensive about dealing with the unwanted male attention, the constant staring, the groping and other forms of 'eve teasing'. This is hard to avoid and I have dealt with it in the past, not only in India but all over the world. At the end of the day, you can't do much about it except not let it turn you into a cyncial, rude person and try your best to stay sane.

And while DC may have a reputation for being the 'murder capital of the world' - I feel, as a women, more comfortable there or London or New York, walking around and going about my day to day life without being stared at, followed, talked to, etc. etc. Although I may run the risk for the same or greater threat of 'violent' crimes.

Are there any women out there who live in or have lived in Delhi? I would be interested in hearing about your experiences and perspective on this matter.

In the end though, I know Delhi will be amazing and ultimately, all will be well.

Thanks again.

GandhiGirl

I get confused by some of the comments that say women traveling alone should be more careful. It is just very vague to me. What are they to be weary of? Robbery? Rape? Accosting? Groping? Kidnapping? Vile remarks? What? Maybe some ladies can elaborate on some of the "not so pleasant" situation they have come across. New York City can be dangerous in places but you can walk around anywhere. If someone feels unsafe there are stores or restaurants everywhere and good people who would help you. I think for precautions to be effective you need to have a clear and concise image of what you may encounter. Input would be very welcomed.