Many tourists wonder about the special attention the locals pay to them during their visit to India. Some love this attention, while others hate it. Sometimes this endless selfie frenzy distracts tourists from the pleasure of living in the moment.
Well, why do you think Indians take pictures with every ‘white’ tourist they see on the road? We were also curious about this and researched it for you. Let’s explain!
People from India who have not been able to travel abroad and have low levels of education see the USA and other countries as a utopian place!
Tourists, mostly from America and European countries, are a complete ‘beauty standard’ for them. While there is no preference for any color for us, locals consider meeting white people a source of pride, and they can brag to their friends and family when they meet a white person!
For them, these people come from a magical place and it really fits their perception of beauty! The Hollywood industry may have also affected this situation; These films, starring mostly white-skinned, blue-eyed and quite remarkable actors, are a true American dream for Indians! It is no coincidence that most whitening creams come from such countries.
For them, tourists are something new and exciting!
The people, whose majority of the population could not go abroad, generally go to big cities like Delhi as touristic places and take a vacation. Even seeing a tourist on the road is a different story for them, the intention of Indians who want to take a photo to immortalize this moment is actually not bad according to most tourists.
One of the locals wrote to make this clear: People who do this are usually not malicious. Meeting someone from abroad is a sign of friendship and pride for them. Of course, you can politely decline. They’ll probably be very apologetic for bothering you.
Famous YouTuber Mr. Even the Beast got its share from this photo frenzy!
MrBeast wrote, “While he was wandering around India, someone wanted to take a picture. I asked my translator to ask what his favorite MrBeast video was and he said he didn’t know what MrBeast was and just wanted to take a picture with a tall white man.” He shared his post.
It doesn’t matter to them who MrBeast is, the only important thing is that he is a white man!
Some Indians believe that taking a photo with a white tourist brings luck.
The fact that India has many cultures, traditions and languages in itself can be mixed with lack of education and cause such superstitions to be born.
Some think it brings luck, while others take pictures just because they like it aesthetically.
Tourists warn: don’t let them get too close to you!
Tourists, who stated in their blog post that some men try to kiss by getting too close and establish unnecessary intimacy while taking selfies, have warned people who will go to India about this situation.
He wrote that you should pay attention to your clothing, especially on public beaches, regardless of male or female, otherwise your photos and videos will be secretly filmed at the end of the day.
At the 32nd second of the video, you can see a woman sunbathing on the public beach watching it uncomfortably, circling around her.
The baby held in the lap can make you an uncle or aunt in an instant.
After taking a selfie with a baby in your lap or a child standing next to you, you may suddenly find yourself 10 years from now as the uncle or aunt of someone you don’t remember, as several indigenous peoples of India have warned.
The purpose of this is to get money from you after years, after the child grows up, to find you, or to pass the child to your population. The number of people who made this event is not to be underestimated, let’s say be careful!
They attacked a Swiss couple with sticks because they didn’t want to take a selfie.
This group, which usually shares the photos they shared as #selfiewithforeigners (#foreignerslaselfie), caused discomfort by wandering after the tourist couple for about 1 hour because the Swiss couple refused the selfie request. Later, they attacked with sticks, causing fractures in the man’s skull and the woman’s hand!
Former Minister of Tourism of India warned the locals.
Alphons Kannanthanam said, “This is not right. Why don’t you leave the tourists alone? Why are we so obsessed with white skin? It’s an attack on their privacy.” said.
When we consider the subject in general terms, we can understand that most of them want to take selfies with innocent wishes and see tourists as fascinating and utopian beings, but we should not forget about malicious people!
When you are exposed to such a situation during a possible visit to India or when you see such videos on social media, you will now be able to understand the reason. We are very curious about your thoughts on this subject, frankly, do not forget to indicate your opinions in the comments!