US vlogger defends India’s cleanliness after Kochi visit, says ‘you cannot say that about the whole country’

A US vlogger has defended India against sweeping claims about cleanliness after sharing her experience from Kochi in Kerala. Taking to Instagram, the vlogger named Chloe Jade posted a video of herself exploring the coastal city, offering a perspective that challenges common stereotypes.A US vlogger defended India’s cleanliness after visiting Kochi, said perceptions do not reflect reality. (Instagram/chloejadetravels)(Also read: Vlogger confronts man for throwing garbage outside Delhi Metro station: ‘Ye dustbin nahi hai yaar’)In the voiceover of the clip, Jade is heard saying, “People say that India is dirty, but for me, this is not dirty. Now let’s start off with the sidewalks and the roads. Things are very clean. There’s no trash, and the sidewalk is literally spotless. As you can see, people are using gloves to eat the food and everything here is very clean, which is almost every country. You can see that there’s no trash on the ground because we think it’s done very carefully and the food comes out very, very clean and very healthy, and I have to say the food was absolutely amazing. These are dosa and they came out so good.”She also highlighted public transport in the city, adding, “Let’s take a form of public transportation. This is actually called a metro ferry, so it’s kind of like taking a metro. It’s a ferry on the water. It’s completely electric, and when you see inside, you won’t be asking yourself, why do people say that India is dirty? Take a look at this. People are all respecting each other’s space. It’s very clean in here, and even all of the waterways outside are completely clean. They have a huge point to use renewable energy for this, and I was very, very impressed with how the water boat operates and how clean it was on and off of it. Okay, but maybe you’re asking me which part of India are you in? I’m currently in Kochi, which is part of Kerala.”Watch the clip here:Caption calls out stereotypesThe clip is shared with a caption that reads: “India is not dirty. I am travelling in Kerala, India right now, and a lot of times the first thing someone says is, “India is dirty.” Now, it’s my second time here, but both of those visits are eight years apart, and while certain parts of India are somewhat dirty, you cannot say that about the whole country. Travelling in India means that you need to look beyond what you see in the media, and it also means that you are going to experience a lot of different things because the country is huge. India has so much to offer and is truly a traveller’s paradise.”Internet reactsThe clip has garnered a range of reactions online, with several users agreeing with her observations. One user wrote, “Exactly, India is too diverse to be generalised like this.” Another said, “Kerala is known for its cleanliness, glad you experienced it.” A third commented, “People only see what goes viral, not the real India.” Another added, “There are clean and unclean places everywhere in the world.” One user remarked, “This is such a refreshing perspective.”