Bangalore, July 2: Male tourists in the habit of taking in more than just the scenic beauty of Karnataka's waterfalls had better concentrate on, well, the waterfalls.
The state government plans to install signboards warning tourists against ogling women visitors, who often take the plunge in water bodies formed by these falls or get wet in the cloud of fine spray by merely standing too near.
A senior official in the state's tourism department said the government was thinking of empowering "tourist mitras" (friends of tourists) to keep an eye on those with roving eyes.
"The only intention is to keep women safe as we have received several complaints about men staring at women," said the official who asked not to be named.
Over two dozen waterfalls, such as the Jog Falls, Shivanasamudra Falls, Dudhsagar Falls and the Abbey Falls, are among the more than 300 classified tourist spots in the state.
The government plans to list several lesser-known falls along the Western Ghats with an eye on monsoon tourists who arrive to experience the rains. A special booklet is under production with the full list of waterfalls and how to reach them.
While it's not clear yet what action the tourist mitras would be empowered to take if they catch someone eyeing women rather than the surging cascade in front of them, the official said specially designed and worded signboards would be installed at all places where women tend to take to the waters.
"We want to make the experience safe and decent for women who travel all the way to enjoy these locations," he said, adding that many women travel alone these days. "We welcome the trend. Hence the tourism ministry wants to make every location safer for single women as well."
Sources in the tourism department said the precise wording on the signboards would be decided in the due course. "We will work on how to phrase the message," said an official.
A former member of the tourism advisory council had a word of caution. "I would like the whole message to be a more positive one rather than something that sounds very harsh as most men won't take it lightly," urban strategist V. Ravichandar said, underlining the thin line between an acceptable glance and an indecent stare.
"Ogling is culturally a man problem among Indians. Of course it is very rude and unacceptable... But I hope the phrasing (of the signboards) is such that it doesn't kick off a controversy."
Sridhar Ramanujam, a communications expert and founder and CEO of advertising firm Brand-Comm, called for a more direct approach. "Of course, we can't generalise all Indian men but it's a fact that a lot of men tend to be apathetic when it comes to needs of women," he said.
While a younger audience might be receptive to a tongue-in-cheek message, older people might just need a more direct instruction not to ogle, he added.
A city-based single woman who often travels alone welcomed the move, but felt it would be tough to force men not to ogle. "It's very difficult to even enjoy a good swim although I never wear skimpy swimwear," said the tech professional who did not want to be identified.
"I hope it won't end up like our warnings against dumping garbage or urinating in public places."
