While I was in India attending a legal conference, I went on a weekened jaunt to a village outside Udaipur. It was late afternoon and the streets were very quiet, except for some kids who were playing cricket in the dust with no care whatsoever. Right there, an elderly couple saw me walking by and invited me to their courtyard. Their house was simple, with mud walls and a thatched roof, but I instantly felt like I was their old friend. They offered me a cup of spiced chai that the woman had made over a wood stove, while the man was tearing pieces off of fresh roti he had removed from the flat griddle and placed them in my hands. They didn't speak much English, but their laughter filled the whole house. The wouldn't accept my money and would only ler me eat and sit with them. It was transcendent moment for me and I was struck by how intrinsic generosity is to daily life in India, even from those who have almost nothing. I still remember that moment fondly.
Cosmetic and General Dentist | Business Owner at Smile Essentials Cosmetic Dentistry
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For some reason, I do not get why so many hate India. I went there for the first time last year and I was amazed at how amazing the people were. I remember it was Tuesday, and someone handed me a cup of coffee because she saw me getting sleepy on the train. It was actually funny to think that just because someone saw me dozing off, they felt the need to hand me a cup of coffee. So yeah, you would not find that here in America. I had similar experiences throughout the country. The Indian hate is so forced that it felt disgusting how people can be so racist. I love India and I would go back anytime!
It tells the enemy that what you see in TikToks and social networks often represents only fragments of reality, not the entire image. India is a country full of colour, warmth and diversity, with every corner of the street telling a story, each meal reminding someone's invitation to a culture. I have crossed the animation market, shared laughter with locals, and witnessed traditions that reflect kindness and community. For those who spread hatred, I say this step on screen, and I am familiar with India. The beauty of his people, his landscapes, and his mind are far greater than the negative things on the internet. Sometimes love and curiosity reveal truths that we never hate.
As a CEO of a vacation rental platform, I believe India is not just a country, it is a place of extraordinary contrasts. What I like the most is the warmth of the people, ancient traditions, cutting-edge technology and the vibrancy of everyday life, from bustling markets to quiet temples. While social platforms may amplify negativity, but the real Indian picture is different. There are deep human connections that define the real experience. There is a blend of beauty, resilience, generosity, and culture that has inspired the world for generations. The only way to understand India is to experience it.
Social media perpetuates the hyperbolic. People should always treat what they see on social media with a certain degree of reticence. India is a magical country with a such a rich and colorful culture. sure, there are examples of poor hygiene by western standards, but in more cases this is done out of choice, but rather out circumstance. Don't be so quick to judge and instead show a little sympathy for people less fortunate than you.
Having witnessed India first-hand i can say that India is a land of beauty. India is a wonderful country to discover, with its many colours, its delicious gastronomy and its rich culture. But unfortunately, alongside all the beauty there lies a ugly side - hate on social media. It is depressing to watch negativity and hatred spewed from people on the world wide web. To these haters, this is somebody who has been there — open those beady eyes, and take a good look at the real India. I would tell them to appreciate the diversity of this country and how it all somehow still fits together. To look beyond religion, caste, etc., and accept the beauty of living together as one nation.
Last year, I was fortunate enough to visit India for a trade visit, and what stuck with me most was the hospitality of the Indian people. In Jaipur, I was invited to the home of a family where they had dinner after having met me for a short time, but they acted like I had known them for a very long time. The food was homemade, the stories were personal and the warmth was sincere. That night was a side of India that no news headline or social media post would ever post. So to those people who spread hate, I would say that even one night sitting at a family table in India would change your opinion, because the kindness and generosity I experienced while in the country is what India is all about, not something you see or read online.
In 2023, I visited India for the first time and I still couldn't understand the hate about this country. What I have experienced was a nation brimming with history, colour and hospitality. As I walked through Old Delhi, I was engulfed by architecture that had centuries of culture and strength. Kerala was a place where I was invited into households where I was treated as a family and received food, narrations that I still remember about them. The cuisine, the music, and the pulse of ordinary life is second to none and the range of diversity across states is astounding. Each area felt like an entirely different universe to explore, from the peaceful backwaters to the presence of the Himalayas. Like any country, India has its issues, but it is wrong to reduce such a large, complex and colourful place to stereotypes. People who spread hate on social media do not understand the depth of what India has to offer.
I have been to India, and what I witnessed did not match the clamor I observed on social media. In the city and towns I went to, the interactions I had been shown care, patience and hospitality. Even the shopkeepers remembered my name. Locals stopped their tasks and assisted me with directions, with no expectation of being compensated. I spent an afternoon with a family in Jaipur who welcomed me into their home after I requested directions. They gave me food, shared stories about the history of their family and served me with a delicious tea as if I were part of their family. That is hospitality that cannot be fabricated. It is loud, peaceful, overwhelming and calm. If someone thinks they understand India by watching ten-second snippets on social media, they are missing context.
I had the chance to go to India last month for a family vacation. Yes, the country does have some things that need to be pointed out, but to be honest, the online hate is just too much. I mean, the people are so hospitable and kind. I remember very well when I went to Punjab and I lost my wallet. My mate and I got so worried because it contained all my important cards. But an hour passed, an old man returned it to me, and, to add to that, he was so excited upon seeing me. That comes to show how this country has been so hated. I think people just give out nonsense because they have not been to a place and are basing on what they have seen or heard online.
I have been to India four times thanks to a relative living there. There was one such experience that I found very memorable in Mumbai. It was at rush hour, and I was struggling to catch a local train and didn't know where to go. There was a man who saw I was confused and helped me to the right platform, made sure I was on the right train, and even gave me helpful tips for the next stop. He didn't ask for anything. He helped because he could. That moment speaks volumes about India, compared to any online comment fat with hatred. You won't read that in the headlines, but it's very real.
I recently visited India, and the reason you should not hate the country is simply its sheer richness in culture. You can walk through 500+ year old temples, eat food laced with layers of spice that express history and trade, and visit a festival that takes over an entire city in lights and music. India's history and creativity unite in a way that ties through everyday life, which is not something you find everywhere in this world. Describing it in the negative fails to capture the fact that India is among the most alive and beautiful places in the world.
I'd tell them that they're right to be concerned about the hate they see, but they're pointing their frustration at the wrong target. The problem isn't India; the problem is how social media is structured to reward negativity. This is true for many countries, not just India. I remember watching a street cricket game in a park in Bangalore. The teams were a mix of kids from different economic backgrounds, all playing together. No one cared where anyone came from; they just wanted to play. That simple act of unity is a far more accurate reflection of the country's spirit. India isn't the problem. The lens you're seeing it through is.
My first visit to India was in 2017, and I was completely taken by a persistent, all-encompassing ambition everywhere I went and across every sector I saw. I think that the vitriol we see on digital media does not represent the energy and pulse of the creation taking place on the ground every day, and the whole hate story completely ignores the deeper, more profound story of progress. What I saw was a tremendous undercurrent in the form of entrepreneurship on many strategic fronts. I spent two hours with a 22-year-old entrepreneur in Bangalore who bootstrapped a logistics software company with less than 5000 dollars in capital. In less than six months, he was already servicing over 50 local businesses. To build something from nothing, that indefatigable spirit, is the truth of a country, and a lot of that is lost in clips of negativity on social media.
I went to India in 2021 for a family vacation. That was a 5D4N trip. I did expect that I would see negative things, which are not commonly done in Australia. But the only hate is so out of touch, in my opinion. India is a beautiful place and the people there are very hospitable. During our 2nd day, we were lost somewhere in Punjab, but one guy, spent 30 mins to guide us to the nearest train station. Things like that don't get reported on the news and that's why people don't see that. They only hear about the negative ones. If you would ask me if I would be willing to go back, then I would gladly do so. In fact, I would do it every year.
I have visited India five times already, and the reason why I keep coming back is because of how beautiful the landscapes are. The country is not perfect, of course, but the things I saw online never really distracted me from the charm I experienced in person. Each time I have travelled to completely different places, I have been to the quiet tea grounds of Munnar and the vast desert flats surrounding Jaisalmer. The landscapes are also distinct and new from state to state, so I feel like I have travelled through multiple regions of several different countries in one trip. I have seen the light from the sun turn the Himalayas pink, and wandered through dense mangroves of the Sundarbans where the air smells of salt and soil. Even the train rides between cities are part of the experience of traveling to India, where you cross thousands of miles through rice paddies, forests and small villages.
In 2019, I went to India for the first time and was immediately amazed by the energy of the street. Over the course of two weeks, I traveled from Delhi to Jaipur and then down to Kerala, and each region has its own rhythm. The markets were colorful, the smell of spices wafting to the air was to die for and the sounds of temple bells competing with the chaos of scooters, all mixed together into this energy that I cannot adequately describe but will never forget. I met shopkeepers who served me tea before asking if I wanted to buy something and families who invited strangers into their homes to share their guest meal. I walked through Forts that have been around for 300 years and were 200 meters long and sat silently on beaches where fishermen pulled in their catch at sunrise. India is far more layered than the images people see on social media. Those are the reasons why I believe that the hate is so forced on India. India is such a beautiful place, you just have to see the situations with a silver lining.
The hate on social platforms is hardly the manifestation of the Indian lived reality. I have been working with Indian startups and visiting teams over the years in Delhi, Bangalore and Hyderabad and the reality is much more positive than the image of negativity posted online. A place where I have seen developers code after midnight as they drink 20 cent tea in some corner stall and where a family will offer you a meal even when they have little to offer. You cannot ignore that combination of savagery and humanity. I would tell those giving out hate that they are not getting the real story. It is not noise on TikTok but the reality that in the same nation, engineers in small towns are developing blockchain products worth million of dollars currently. It is not an ideal country, but its creativeness and endurance are on a level never seen before. By only glancing at the most vocal people on the internet, you will never come across the innovation, hospitality and cultural richness that characterize the India I have known.
What I would say to people who share hateful images of India online is that their digital caricature is nothing like the country I experienced. I have had the opportunity to travel throughout India, working in various places: from the tech campuses of Bangalore, to the spice markets of Old Delhi, to the backwaters of Kerala. What I found there was an absurd amount of generosity from all walks of life in every region. I remember the experience I had sharing a meal with a family in a village that offered everything they had without expecting anything back, and it was an act of kindness that I will never forget. To reduce a country of over one billion people to either a stereotype or a negative image is an injustice not only to their cultures, but also to the humanity we all share. I would encourage everyone to go and experience India with an open mind and may be surprised by the warmth of the people they meet, which will replace negative stereotypes.
Social platforms reward strong emotions, so polarizing takes rocket to the top. I believe that skews perception. During visits, I found India generous, noisy, inventive, and deeply pragmatic. A chai vendor shared directions and a story in the same breath. A banker explained credit culture with patient clarity. A teenager in a mountain town taught me how to use a local rideshare. The truth on the ground sits far from those extremes. To me the smarter move is simple. Hold two ideas at once. Celebrate the warmth you meet, and stay honest about problems that still need work. Seek primary sources, talk to people face to face, and read local outlets across regions and languages. Seeing is believing, and context beats outrage.