‘They do it for likes’: Aussie woman calls out foreigners who only show ‘dirty India’ in Reels

An Australian woman has sparked an online discussion after sharing a video praising India’s lesser-seen morning street cleaning culture. Taking to Instagram, the traveller posted a short clip filmed in Rishikesh, capturing a sanitation worker crouched near the edge of a road while cleaning a drain, with a small cart parked beside him. An Aussie woman showed a cleaner side of India, sharing a clip of early street cleaning and criticising tours who focus only on negative visuals.(Instagram/ashtakesflight) The clip was accompanied text that read, “Tours will post reels showing how dirty India is, but they won’t show you the early morning street cleaning.” In the caption, she addressed how the portrayal of India on social media often leans towards negativity for the sake of attention. “So many tours visit India only to show the worst side of India. They do it for the shock factor, for the likes and for all the followers they can gain,” she wrote. She acknowledged that challenges ex around waste management, saying, “I’m not denying that India has issues that need addressing regarding garbage collection and disposal, but there’s really no need to sh*t can a country for views or followers.” She added that India is “huge” and includes “many different states, which all differ from one another. Not everywhere you visit in India will be the same.” Referring to the video’s location, she said, “This video is from Rishikesh which was very clean.” Take a look here at the clip: Encouraging a balanced viewThe post resonated with many who appreciated the nuanced perspective. One commenter praised her approach, saying, “I love the fact that you are looking at the positive side of things too. India is a very complex country and there is a lot of amazing things amongst the not so good things.” Others chimed in with varied reflections. A viewer remarked, “Propaganda won’t like it,” suggesting that positive portrayals are often overshadowed viral criticism online. Another wrote, “Thank you for showing the good side of my country,” expressing gratitude for highlighting efforts often ignored visitors. Meanwhile, another insed that only those who explore beyond major cities truly grasp the country’s diversity, commenting, “Only outsiders who travelled India more than just Delhi or Mumbai can understand this.” HT.com has reached out to the user for her comments. This story will be updated when a response is received. (Disclaimer: This report is based on user-generated content from social media. HT.com has not independently verified the claims and does not endorse them.)