Twenty-seven-year old Hemmings mentioned the incident in her Lucy’s Miles Away travel blog, according to a report in the British newspaper The Independent. She had been on a visit to India for three months and had returned to England recently. She wrote that while in Mumbai, at a bus stop, she saw a man see her and commit a lewd act. This left her shocked and sickened, she wrote. After writing the details of the incident on her blog, Lucy received countless messages of apologies and support from Indians, who felt that the misdeeds of a single person had maligned the image of their country.
“On behalf of my fellow countrymen I would like to apologize for what happened,” one man wrote.
“It is truly disheartening to know that you have had such an experience while you were in my country… I pray that you will have a safer environment from now on,” he added.
Another Indian well-wisher wrote that they felt “ashamed and sorry”, while another said: “A bunch of people, out of a billion population, make the whole of India ashamed. “So I just thought to say sorry (on behalf of everyone in India). I know you have moved on… but I still believe a sorry could make a difference.”
Lucy mentioned that she had worn loose clothes to respect Indian traditions and had also followed safety advice related to conduct and interaction with strangers. In an interview with The Independent, Lucy said,”I found it really frustrating because I’m someone who really loves interacting with people and I really struggled because suddenly I was afraid to look at people.”
India has recently been in the limelight for all the wrong reasons. After the notorious and infamous rape and killing of 23 year old medical student Jyoti Singh, India’s image has been tarnished significantly.Lucy hoped that her blog would provide women around the world with courage and initiative to speak out against their sexual harassment incidences.
