It's not all Bollywood and yoga mats there

Earlier this month, an Indian gentleman shared his experience on social media of finding a sign in his hotel room in Switzerland that basically said: 'Dear Indian tourists, don't pack buffet items into your purses. If you want, we can give you separately packed food items.' Six years ago, another fellow Indian visiting the Arc-en-Ciel Hotel in Gstaad had shared a similar message: 'Dear guests from India... please do not take anything with you, the food is for breakfast only. If you would like a lunch bag, you can order it from the service staff and pay for it.' It also added that 'there are other guests from all over the world... [who] also appreciate the peace and quiet, and therefore we ask you to be quiet in the corridor and not speak to (sic) loud on the balcony.'

While this has led to much chagrin, including accusations of 'casual racism', the fact of the matter, doston, is that we are quite what the Swiss sign(s) make us to be. Well, obviously not all of us. But enough of us to create a credible stereotype that we can, if we're honest, recognise. Add to buffet theft, towel heists and desi decibelling, there's littering and not understanding the value in queues. Instead of fuming about profiling, perhaps it's best to act in such a way consistently that we get a new reputation that's positive - and believable to even ourselves.