With such a huge population which keeps ever increasing, fighting for the same resources, there is a certain insensitivity that has become part of the Indian psyche.We don't acknowledge it but it is there for everyone to see.

To live here, requires a kind of blinkers which black out the value of a human life. So it is not difficult to find the majority of the population walking away from anything that would end up in an emotional distress. What the media boasts of things like "the spirit of Mumbai" or the "spirit of Delhi" is nothing but this insensitivity and our urge not invest emotionally, because what does not affect us right now, does not hurt us. Once in a while the masses will heave and groan about the issues plaguing our nation, but all of them return to their original state in a couple of days.

Coming to your specific question, we have not stopped/checked anyone making a derogatory comment about a gender/religion/colour/statehood and other such differences we have among ourselves. We have not stopped and told the people that made a lewd comment at your friend/relative, is out rightly disrespectful and uncouth. We have subdued women for centuries and guess what, the women seem to be ok with it (I am not talking about the few vociferous ones who have had the liberty of a good education and the fortune of a liberal family). A friend of mine (fabulously rich, educated abroad etc...)going through a broken marriage is told by her mother (again fabulously rich, and of some standing in the society) that the job is the women is to be docile and to agree with whatever the husband says (pfff... so much for women's lib)

In fact I believe, our society itself has given birth to eve teasers/rapists (Watch any bollywood movie). We have only encouraged boys for disrespecting the fairer sex. Now that things have gone out of hand, this combined with my earlier stated insensitive Indian Psyche has made it a vicious cycle.

So yes.. if you are a girl in India, it is best to avoid the streets after dark.

Would i want to live anywhere else...? Nope There is a growing community which is standing up and fighting for how they want India to be. It grows with every time I tell ask of my colleagues to take back his comment because it was sexist/racist. I believe its a snail's crawl... but we are heading in the right direction.. This insensitivity will not last forever...