Russian expat living in Gurugram points 6 things foreigners got wrong about India. One of them was 'sari stereotype'

A Russian woman living in India has struck a chord online after sharing an honest and refreshingly casual account of what life in the country has really been like for her. In an Instagram video that has since gone viral, she addressed a series of popular assumptions about India, offering her own lived experience instead.

The woman, identified as Kseniia Shakirzianova, said she has been living in India for around three years. Sitting in a car and eating a sandwich, she opened her video by saying she wanted to “clear a few myths”. Her relaxed tone and straightforward observations quickly found an audience, with the video crossing 67,000 views and receiving over 2,000 likes.

What she says people get wrong about India

In the video, Shakirzianova took on six common ideas she says she heard repeatedly before moving to India.

• One of them was the belief that the Indian sun would drastically change her appearance. She said she never got the tan people warned her about, despite claims that the sun would “burn” her.
• She also addressed assumptions about Indian food, saying she did not gain weight despite being told that the food is too oily.
• Another stereotype she dismissed was the idea that everyone in India rides two wheelers. Shakirzianova said she has never ridden a bike, not even once as a passenger.
• With humour, she added that she does not wear a sari every day, calling it “shocking”, and said that living in India did not turn her into someone who disappeared into spiritual retreats.
• She also laughed off the notion that she drinks masala chai five times a day.
• Wrapping up her video, she summed it up simply: “India didn’t turn me into a stereotype. It just stayed India, and I stayed me.”

Kseniia Shakirzianova's post:
Kseniia Shakirzianova

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A post shared by Kseniia Shakirzianova (@vegkseniia)

What the internet had to say

The video sparked a lively response in the comments section, with many users appreciating her honesty. “Haha! Thanks for the honesty!” one person wrote, while another said, “It’s nice to see someone from another country interested in Indian culture.”

Some viewers pointed out how relatable her lifestyle sounded. “You sound like a normal Indian woman who takes good care of her skin. Indian women wear sari very rarely nowadays, so I think you are living a modern Indian lifestyle,” one user commented.