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‘I visited India so you don't have to’: UK man records dirty roads, visits roadside fortune teller
A UK man's portrayal of India has sparked a heated debate. While some applaud him, others have accused him of deliberately casting the country negatively.
A vlogger visited India six years after his last visit to see how the country has “progressed.” A video from his trip captures a few places from Delhi and some from Kolkata. It also shows him travelling to Kolkata by train. What has irked most people is how he shows dirty roads, broken train compartments, crowded roads, and unhygienic places in his video.
“India, it's a bit mental isn't it! I returned to there country after six years away to see how it had progressed ( or not ). Join me in the most frustrating place to travel in the world,” he wrote in the video’s caption.
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“Warning: Do not attempt to do this trip yourself unless you are a professional traveller,” he sarcastically added.
Take a look at the video here:
The video has generated mixed reactions from viewers and created quite a lot of chatter on YouTube. Some viewers judged India solely based on the vlogger’s video, while others accused him of “deliberately” portraying the country in a bad light. This controversy has sparked a heated debate about cultural representation and the responsibilities of travel vloggers.
What did YouTube users say?
“I've never seen a travel video that made me want to leave a place I'll never visit,” posted a YouTube user. Another person added, “An Indian palm reader telling foreigners they're gonna have stomach problems is next-level comedy.”
A third commented, “Racism is bad unless it's against Indians is the new trend. This video is specifically made in a manner to invoke and garner both racist and rage-bait views. India is one of the most diverse nations in the world, if not the most in all aspects, be it culturally, geographically, or economically. Extreme ends and everything in between are present throughout the nation's vast landscape. Showing, for lack of a better word, the worst parts and then generalising the 7th largest by land, 2nd by population, 5th by GDP, 4th by Military strength, 3rd by energy production, 4th in global influence, 6th in technological advancements, 8th by natural resources, 2nd in agriculture Country in the world shows your desperation to invoke hate and racism. And for anyone wondering, book a bloody five-star trip (India is affordable), and you won't see any of this, just luxury. And for however it is, people in India don't have to worry every day if their child is going to get shot in the school.”
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A fourth wrote, “After gaining a lot of views and subscribers from Indian audiences, Baldy is reacting exactly like a British hypocrite sounds.”
Who is behind Bald and Bankrupt?
UK-based Benjamin Rich runs the YouTube channel Bald and Bankrupt. Reportedly, his vlogging journey started in India. He visited the country after filing for bankruptcy in the UK due to failed business ventures.
He is also the author of The Burning Edge: Travels Through Irradiated Belarus, which documents his journey through Belarus. “On his journey through the irradiated borderlands, he meets an assortment of characters struggling to make sense of a life in the shadows of the Chernobyl tragedy,” reads a part of his book’s synopsis on Amazon.
