The cornerstone of Indian hospitality is exemplified with the old adage Athiti Devi Bhava; meaning “the guest is God”. Guests in India are often treated with the utmost warmth, love, and respect.
This sentiment was soundly witnessed by a Russian tourist stunned by the open-armed reception he received during a visit to the Shiv Mandir in Delhi. A heartwarming video of his visit has social media users going ‘awwww’, with upwards of 231.7K views on X (formerly Twitter).
'Come to India'
The now-viral video shows the Russian man getting acquainted with an Indian family at the Shiv Mandir, who enquire about his nationality. They then offered him a thaali with paneer sabzi, roti, daal, and papad.
“They said sit down, this (points at plate) is for you. I am so happy because I am hungry and I ate nothing all day,” the man can be heard saying in the video.
The visual then changes to him gorging on the scrumptious plate of food, and he can't help but exclaim, “Very tasty.”
{{/usCountry}}The visual then changes to him gorging on the scrumptious plate of food, and he can't help but exclaim, “Very tasty.”
{{/usCountry}}A little later, another man places some papad on his plate. Curious, the tourist asks, “What is this?” The man replies, “Papad.” He then takes a bite and compares it to a chip.
Another thoughtful gesture from the family brought even more joy to the tourist. After the meal, one of the men offered him candies, which delighted him to no end! He describes his experience as “amazing”.
The tourist also shared his fascination and admiration towards Hindu culture, discussing temples and how every family has its temple. “Every Indian family has a special mandir, just for family,” he said in the video.
In the end, he simply looks into the camera with a message for all tourists: “Come to India. India will show you real spirituality.”
Social media says Atithi Devo Bhava
Commenters on X were touched by the man's beautiful review of the hospitality he received.
“Indian hospitality wins hearts once again! A simple gesture, a lifelong friendship—this is the magic of India!” wrote one user. Another wrote, “I want to salute from my heart those Indians who showed so much intimacy with them! After all, we are people who believe in Atithi Devo Bhava…”
One X user observed, “Russian are very good guests. Many Russian tourists visited MahaKumbh as well. Many more have settled in India and working with Iskon and other Krishna temples.”
Another remarked, “Russians also treat Indians with great hospitality.”
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