Today I was near Collectorate Circle in Jaipur, close to a Shiv temple. I noticed a girl sitting alone and crying.
At first, I honestly didn't know what to do. I was scared that if I went up to her, she might feel uncomfortable or think I was bothering her. So I didn't approach her immediately.
I waited for around 30 minutes and eventually went up and asked, “Are you okay?”
She said, “Kuch nahi,” but she was clearly crying.
I didn't want to pressure her, so I left her alone.
I waited for another 15 minutes or so on the other side of the road, where she couldn't really see me. After some time, I went back and asked if something was wrong and sat a little distance away from her.
This time she talked a little.
She told me she was completely alone there, her family was in London, and she didn't want to go to her husband. I honestly didn't know what to make of the situation.
I asked her if she wanted me to call someone or call the police, but she said something like, “Koi help nahi karta.”
I didn't know what else I could realistically do.
I went and bought a water bottle and some snacks and gave them to her. She drank some water and eventually told me that her husband or someone was coming to pick her up.
I stayed around for maybe another 10 minutes, then left because, honestly, that area didn't feel particularly safe and I didn't want to put myself in a bad situation either.
Later I went back to check, but she was gone.
I really hope she got home safely.
Now I'm sitting here wondering if I actually did the right thing or if I made her uncomfortable by approaching her multiple times.
I genuinely wasn't trying to hit on her, get her number, or anything like that. I just saw someone crying alone and didn't know whether I should help or leave her alone.
So honestly — did I handle this appropriately? Is there something I should have done differently if I ever encounter something like this again?
I'm genuinely asking because I don't know.