People watch me eat

And walk. And ride. And stand around. And shop. And talk. In fact, everywhere I go and everything I do, there are people watching me.

And not just watching me. Staring at me. When we are travelling behind busses, trucks or cars full of people, someone will notice me and stare, and then often elbow his companions so they can stare too.

The other day when we were eating in a restaurant, a family of 4 spent 90% of their meal swivelled around staring at me rather than at what they were eating. The children moreso, but the parents too.

When we are out riding, motorcycles will sometimes adjust their speed to stay alongside us so they can get a good look.

When I walk around their apartment building with Gopal’s niece, people turn around after I pass them so they can stare at me longer. Some people will come up and say hello to her (who wouldn’t normally) just so they can get a bit closer and stare a bit longer.

It doesn’t matter what I’m wearing. It happens whether I’m wearing my normal western clothes, my ultra-modest western clothes or wearing salwar kameez.

I know they aren’t being rude. Staring isn’t considered rude here. I’m different and they are just curious.

Mostly I don’t mind. Sometimes I find it amusing, mostly I just try to ignore it. But it does sometimes get annoying. Some days, anonymity is very appealing. I guess I should just treat it as a reminder of why I would never ever want to be famous.