Two viral stories of Indian women abroad have sparked debate. One expressed surprise at paying $250 for a minor repair in the US. The second raised questions over the treatment of Indian passengers by an airline in South-East Asia.
Two viral stories related to Indian women living abroad have sparked a new debate on the internet. One story is related to the rising cost of living in America, while the other is about the treatment of Indian travelers in South-East Asia.
In the first incident, an Indian woman living in the US took to social media to share how she had to pay $250 (about Rs 21,000) to get a minor leak at home fixed. On Instagram, this woman named Amrita Singh shared a video of plumbing repair and expressed surprise at the labor charges in America. “We paid $250 today to get a small leak fixed. Labor costs are very high here,” he said in the clip.
Comparing it with India, he wrote, “In India it probably would have cost Rs 500 to Rs 1000… here it would be $250.” This video of his immediately went viral among Indians living abroad. Many people believe that getting even small household chores done in America can be very expensive.
After this there was a flood of comments on social media. One user wrote, “This is absolutely true. Labor is very expensive in America.” Another wrote, “That’s why people in America learn to fix everything themselves.” Some people also said that salaries in America are also very high, which affects the prices of services.
Meanwhile, another Indian female traveler has expressed anger online by sharing her “horrifying” experience at the Laos airport. Solo traveler Annapurna alleged that despite showing bank statements and travel history, airline staff stopped her from boarding a flight to Cambodia and asked her to show $400 in cash.
In his viral video, he raised the question why Indian tourists “don’t get the same respect” as white travelers. He alleged that Indian tourists often face additional scrutiny in parts of South-East Asia. Later he clarified that this matter was not related to immigration officials, but to the airline staff. He directly blamed Vietnam Airlines for this bad experience.
People reacted sharply to his story. Many users also shared their experiences of additional checks, demands to show cash and harsh questioning while traveling on Indian passports in South-East Asia.