Are Foreigners Really Safe in Pune?

May 18, 2018

Foreigners Safety — Image used for representation only

Travelling today has been a luxury, and India being one of the major tourist destinations, attracts a lot of foreigners for its beauty.

It is also a major education centre, with many foreigners from all parts of the country coming here to study.

But there is one issue which has been a point of contention for many foreigners. That is the safety aspect in the country. There have been a few instances where foreigners have faced problems.

We spoke to a few foreigners in the city to find out what they felt about the safety in Pune.

“India is pretty safe for me. I have visited India a couple of times before too.
The only problem I face here is that everything is more expensive for us. Language is a major problem so maybe that’s why they quote us high,” says Laura, a Make-Up Artist in cinema and theatre from Spain.

“They have things which are culturally and historically rich so I buy them at a higher price too.”

Peter Ngambo, 21, a student, says.”It is sad to see that we Blacks are always treated with suspicion everywhere. Isolated incidents of drug peddling by some bad elements have branded us too as one. We are just like Indians and are traditions are the same.

“I feel sad that some societies even ban us from taking a flat there. They feel we will smoke, have drugs and make a lot of noise. Unfortunately this happens in bigger cities. I hope people change their perception of us, he adds.”

Hakeem, a School Student from Mozambique, says ” In general India is a very safe place but being a black I have faced a few bad experiences to.People here are sometimes racist towards us.
“I have come here to study with my family and when people make a joke of us or laugh at us. We ignore it focusing on the sole purpose of us being here.

“Recently, when I was jogging in the evening, two men on a bike stopped next to me, there was a cow in the middle of my way, they started yelling at me. I got afraid and ran to an internal road. They chased me for a while and then vanished.
After I came back to the main road, people around me started laughing on me,” she added.

“India is safe for me. They bluff us by quoting the price of the things high but apart from that, I have not faced any other problem,” says Consuelo, Musical Manager from Spain.

‘Be it prices of food or clothing they initially price it more, though we bargain a bit we still feel they have charged more.”

Abeer from Morocco says,” It’s been around 4 years that I moved with my family here, Its quite a safe place but I feel that we are suspected more than Indians and even more than other foreigners.
“Women hesitate in seeking help from us. The way they look us, we can sense that they aren’t comfortable.
Also, when people visit our house they are afraid to enter and they don’t even eat. They feel afraid and maybe they think that we may add drugs or chemicals to their food.”