‘Portray India terribly’: Canadian woman slams content creators for selective coverage

In a spirited viral video, a Canadian woman shines a light on the rich tapestry of India’s beauty, urging international content creators to shift their focus from cliched narratives of poverty. She showcases the splendor of opulent resorts and the breathtaking variety of landscapes, drawing a stark contrast to the distorted portrayals that emphasize festivals and flights, ultimately perpetuating racism.

A Canadian woman’s video defending India has gone viral as she criticised misleading travel content by foreign creators on platforms such as YouTube, TikTok and Instagram. In a clip lasting about two minutes, she argues that many influencers focus too much on negative aspects of India rather than its broader beauty and diversity.“I think it’s really important to talk about the terrible way that content creators have been portraying India especially on YouTube, TikTok and Instagram,” she says in the video. She adds that there is “just growing racism against Indian people.”The speaker condemns vloggers who reduce India to a single crowded street or unpleasant experiences. “Tourists will go to places like Old Delhi and kind of say this is what India looks like when it’s one really small part of a city which is a very large country,” she says.

She points to her own travels in Delhi and Rishikesh and describes luxury stays without the usual negative stereotypes. “When I was in Delhi I stayed at Shangri‑La. It was only about 160 Canadian dollars a night and it WAS AMAZING. The hotel is beautiful. The service is out of this world,” she said, adding that India offers a wide range of landscapes and world-class cities.“India is one of the only countries in the world that has like every kind of landscape. They have mountains, they have desert, the rainforest, beaches,” she says. The speaker argues that similar negative travel clips are not common for other Asian or European countries. “If you search up travel you’ll never see people post things ‘I tried Vietnam’s worst street food and I almost died’,” she says, noting that mostly India is targeted.She also defends Indian street food and hospitality, saying that selective coverage and clickbait generate bad impressions. “It is really interesting because I dont feel tourists do this for any other country,” she says. She calls it “really unfair or disgusting overall” that India is constantly reduced to clickbait moments.

Racist ‘poop‑throwing festival’

The Gorehabba festival, celebrated in Gumatapura, Karnataka, the day after Diwali’s Bali Padyami, sees villagers playfully throw cow dung as part of rituals honoring Beereshwara Swamy. In 2025, American YouTuber Tyler Oliveira filmed the festival, posting a viral video titled “Inside India’s Poop‑Throwing Festival,” showing himself among participants wearing protective gear. Many Indian social media users criticised the clip as mocking the tradition. Oliveira defended it on X, saying, “It isn’t racist to film a poop‑throwing festival,” but later cancelled plans for a full documentary after backlash.

Air India plane ‘packed with Indians’

Japanese travel creator Ikechan faced online criticism after posting a vlog about a recent Air India flight this week. The video included a caption reading, “Taking the notoriously bad Air India for my first‑ever trip to India!! The plane is packed with Indians.” Many viewers called the comment culturally insensitive and unnecessary. Ikechan later clarified she did not have “any strong intentions” behind the text, made a “slight change to the text on the thumbnail,” and urged viewers to watch the full video. Go to Source