Does Everyone Stare?

Alright, I am dating myself again. Those of you who know me and my musical inclinations know that the title of this post is a reference to a Police song. It is a song that has been on my mind in these past few weeks.
I read in the Lonely Planet guide before coming here that the men often stare, for prolonged periods, and without apology. The authors even recommended dark sunglasses to block out the stares. I thought that perhaps, as has been in the case with other travel accounts in the past, that they were exaggerating. Nope, not at all. They were spot on about this particular aspect of Indian culture.
At first, I thought I was drawing stares because I wasn't dressed appropriately. Maybe my skirts aren't long enough, I thought- (they fall a few inches from the ankle). So I bought a longer skirt. Didn't change a thing. I wore pants. Didn't change. Now, I go with the dark glasses. Not always, but they do come in handy at times, especially at the bus stations. I have noticed, also, there are not a lot of people that look like Matt and I around these parts. We have seen a few Caucasians, but very few indeed. Not much we can do about that, I suppose.
There is another interesting phenomenon in Indian culture that is sort of an offshoot of the staring. Multiple times now, groups of friends and families have come up to Matt and I and asked to have their picture taken with us. We got up the nerve a few times to ask if we could take pictures, too- and so now we have a couple with the families. When looking at the pictures, I understand why we get stares. We are HUGE! Honestly, I was surprised at how much taller I thought Indians seemed compared to other places in the world. And they are, relative to that, much taller than say, people in Central America. But still, here is something I often forget: Matt and I are tall in the U.S., so of course, we are SUPER TALL here! Duh! The pictures illustrate that obvious fact. I don't mean to tease you, talking about these pictures. I do hope to post some one of these days. (still working on that)
The guide book says to "rise above" the stares, to not take it personally. I guess, being a tall lady, with a very tall husband, "rising above" is one task I can achieve.
And so, to answer the question?
Yes, everybody stares.