<img src="http://images.mid-day.com/images/2016/nov/Swarali-Karulkar-1.jpg" alt="" />
Donald Trump is already making America grope again. Ask Swarali Karulkar, a dance choreographer in New York City &mdash; just hours after the election results, the 24-year-old was grabbed by an absolute stranger who threatened that Trump would throw her out of the country unless she married him. After living in NYC for two years, Swarali is now scared to even step out of her house.
<img title="Swarali Karulkar says she considered moving some place else, but that would mean all the hard work put in by herself and her parents would go to waste" src="http://images.mid-day.com/images/2016/nov/Swarali-Karulkar-2.jpg" alt="Swarali Karulkar says she considered moving some place else, but that would mean all the hard work put in by herself and her parents would go to waste" /> Swarali Karulkar says she considered moving some place else, but that would mean all the hard work put in by herself and her parents would go to waste
Swarali had moved to NYC to study a dance therapy course, and enjoyed her life so much, that she decided to stay on after graduation. Among the things she had loved about the city were its people, who were friendly and welcoming. Now, for the first time, she is witnessing another side to the city.
Also Read: <a href="http://www.mid-day.com/articles/us-president-donald-trump-shocking-controversies-republican-candidate-white-house-news/17748186" target="_blank">Prez Report: 5 shocking controversies of Donald Trump</a>
&ldquo;After the election results were announced on Wednesday, everyone was in shock. I kept reading articles on social media about how people of colour &mdash; particularly immigrants were being targeted all over the country,&rdquo; said Swarali.
She added, &ldquo;A Muslim family was asked to leave a restaurant with their 6-year-old kid after being labelled terrorists. Someone threw coffee at them and asked them to bomb their own country. I was severely disgusted, but I thought these things only happen in the Midwest and not in a progressive and collaborative city like New York. I was proven wrong very quickly.&rdquo;
Day 1 It didn&rsquo;t take long at all. Just hours after Trump was announced as the 45th President-elect of the US, Swarali had her first taste of the new America. &ldquo;I was walking to work in a crowded area &mdash; 12th street and 1st avenue in Manhattan &mdash; and this creepy guy tried to grab me. I walked away but he followed me and said &lsquo;Hey sexy, marry me, I will make you American&rsquo;. He said other gross things as well, but I continued to walk away.&rdquo;
&ldquo;When I was about a block away, he shamelessly yelled &lsquo;Marry me you b***h, I will make you American or Trump will send you back to your country, you immigrant.&rsquo; As I kept walking, some people walked up to me to help me. A woman told me that the same man had been picking on every woman on the street.&rdquo;
&lsquo;Never felt so unsafe&rsquo; Before moving to NYC, Swarali was a resident of Dadar, and had contested in several Indian reality shows, and was even a finalist for Dance India Dance (season 4), as well as an onscreen mentor for DID Lil masters (season 3).
&ldquo;I moved to New York in August 2014 for my Masters in Dance Movement Therapy. Right now I live in Brooklyn, where I found a house in Bedford&ndash;Stuyvesant. It may not be the safest area to live in, but it&rsquo;s all I can afford. But I never felt like I was in danger, because people here are helpful and good-natured. I have also travelled around the country by myself for work, but never felt so unsafe before,&rdquo; said the choreographer.
But as the Presidential election got closer, Swarali could sense a growing aggression in the atmosphere, particularly towards women and immigrants.
Things started getting ugly as far back as September, when the 24-year-old was attacked for the first time. &ldquo;In the mornings, I generally walk to Broadway junction, the closest subway stop for me. One day, as I was heading to work at 7 am, I was followed by a woman. She pushed me and demanded that I give her my subway pass. When I refused, she pushed me and yelled at me,&rdquo; Swarali recalled.
Read Story: <a href="http://www.mid-day.com/articles/thousands-take-to-the-streets-to-protest-donald-trump-win-us-presidential-elections/17748161" target="_blank">Thousands take to the streets to protest Donald Trump win</a>
A few days later, there was another incident. This time, Swarali was not under attack but she felt the ripple effect of the growing hate. &ldquo;I was stuck in the train for over two hours because a woman had attacked someone with a knife. The police halted the train for investigation. You can imagine how scary it all was a college girl living on her own in a foreign country.&rdquo;
Scared to step out &ldquo;I didn&rsquo;t tell my parents about any of it because I didn&rsquo;t want them to worry. But, over the next few months, I could see that men had become openly hostile in trains or at public places. And why wouldn&rsquo;t they be, when a sexual abuser runs for election and actually ends up becoming president,&rdquo; said Swarali, adding, &ldquo;I woke up this morning, terrified of going to work, wondering if someone was going to attack me again. I wouldn&rsquo;t say that I haven&rsquo;t considered moving, but I fear that if I do, I might never be able to return. And then all the sacrifices that my parents made will be wasted.&rdquo;
Swarali, who now works at a pre-school for children with special needs, said she is worried about the message this will send to the future generation. &ldquo;This experience has highlighted how much hatred is hidden in people&rsquo;s hearts that is now erupting because of Trump &mdash; all sorts of discrimination against race, women, immigrants, sexual orientations. I&rsquo;m really scared about where this country is headed.&rdquo;

Day after Republican candidate Donald Trumpu00c3u00a2u00c2u0080u00c2u0099s win in the US Presidential election, Mumbai-based choreographer Swarali Karulkar recounts her horror experience in New York City

'Marry me, b*tch! I can make you American, or Trump will send you back'

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Day after Republican candidate Donald Trump&rsquo;s win in the US Presidential election, Mumbai-based choreographer Swarali Karulkar recounts her horror experience in New York City

'Marry me, b*tch! I can make you American, or Trump will send you back'

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'Marry me, b*tch! I can make you American, or Trump will send you back'

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