Indian-American plastic surgeon says she was told to 'go back to India' for wearing bindi, responds with a powerful message: 'You will never lose anything...'

A US-based Indian-American plastic surgeon has spoken out after receiving a wave of racist comments online following a light-hearted Instagram video about her bindi, saying the experience exposed the level of anti-Indian hate circulating on social media.

Dr Karishma Reddy shared a video on her Instagram account addressing the backlash, revealing that what began as a simple story from her medical practice quickly turned into an outpouring of xenophobic abuse.

Dr Karishma Reddy says viral bindi video attracted hateful comments

According to Dr Reddy, the original Instagram reel featured a memorable interaction with one of her patients regarding the bindi she wears. She said the post was intended to be light-hearted but instead drew a large number of hostile comments.


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"I have never seen so much anti-Indian rhetoric in my entire life," she said in the follow-up video.

"A lot of these comments were regarding telling me to go back to India. I was born and raised here in America."

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A post shared by Karishma Reddy, MD, FACS | Board Certified Plastic Surgeon (@kreddyplastics)

Reflecting on the response, Dr Reddy said she was surprised by the intensity of the reaction, especially because her experience working in healthcare has generally been positive.

"Earlier this week I made a reel about a patient encounter regarding my bindi. And it was a light, fun memory that I have. But wow, the comment section went absolutely nuts," she said.

She added that Indian professionals are well represented in the medical field, which meant she had rarely encountered such behaviour in her workplace.

"In the healthcare setting, Indian people aren't really seen as a minority. There's so many of us in healthcare. We've always been treated, for the most part, with kindness and respect from my colleagues," she said.

Doctor addresses misconceptions about Hindu beliefs

During the video, Dr Reddy also responded to comments that referenced Hindu beliefs and cows, saying many people appeared to misunderstand the cultural and historical reasons behind certain traditions.

"Hindu people don't eat beef," she said. "The main reason for that is not because we have a sacred text telling us not to eat cows. It's because in the olden days when a lot of women died in childbirth, we survived off of cow's milk. So out of respect for the cow, for giving humans the gift of life, we do not slaughter or kill cows."

'Please be kind,' says Dr Karishma Reddy

Concluding her message, Dr Reddy urged people to approach different cultures with empathy instead of prejudice.

"You will never lose anything by treating people with kindness and respect and learning more about their backgrounds and cultures," she said.

"Please be kind."

Instagram users rally behind the doctor

The video received widespread support on Instagram, with many users praising Dr Reddy for responding calmly to the abusive comments.

Several viewers thanked her for using the opportunity to promote understanding about Indian culture and encourage respectful conversations online rather than responding with anger.

Inputs from agencies