Dharamsala

Something like that should be the caveat posted on every ad and and written into every India travel book. White women: Only come with men, and thank Paris Hilton for the inconvenience.

My friends here have learned quickly to be discreet, dress humbly, and still expect to be harassed by Indian men. American women are loose and fast as far as Indians are concerned, and men have no qualms showing that's how they feel.

Why this is takes some explanation; television, magazines and other media have a lot to do with it. But that's the cozy, "it's nobody's fault," "it's just a cultural difference" line. Frankly, northern Indian culture is patriarchical, male-dominated, and to me, a little offensive at times.

I will write more to explain what I mean, and to show that it would be a stretch to say women here are seriously oppressed. But suffice it to say that India needs feminists. And lots of them.