Which European traveller had observed, “A Hindu woman can go anywhere

Which European traveller had observed, “A Hindu woman can go anywhere alone, even in the most crowded places, and she need never fear the impertinent looks and jokes of idle loungers”?

Francois Bernier
Jean-Baptiste Tavernier
Thomas Roe
Abbe J. A. Dubois
This question was previously asked in
UPSC CDS-1 – 2019
The observation about the safety and respect accorded to Hindu women traveling alone is made by Abbe J. A. Dubois.
Abbe J. A. Dubois was a French missionary who lived in India for many years in the late 18th and early 19th centuries. He wrote extensively about Indian society, customs, and manners based on his direct observations.
His book ‘Hindu Manners, Customs and Ceremonies’ provides a detailed, albeit sometimes biased, account of Indian life during his time. The quote reflects a specific observation he made about the societal norms and safety environment for women in the regions he visited, which stands in contrast to some other accounts or later perceptions influenced by colonial narratives or changing social conditions. Francois Bernier and Jean-Baptiste Tavernier were French travelers in the 17th century, and Sir Thomas Roe was an English ambassador in the early 17th century; while they wrote about India, this particular observation is specifically attributed to Dubois.
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