When tourism is discussed in India and other countries, one of the few things criticised about our country is that we don’t keep our streets and surroundings clean. This, in turn, impacts the tourism and the impression they get when they visit India.
‘Is India really beyond repair now?’
This stark difference was noticed by a travel influencer couple, Kamakshi and Tushar, who go by @travellwithktm on social media, who recently visited India’s neighbouring country, Bhutan. On July 16, the couple shared a video showing the differences between the Indian and Bhutan sides of the India-Bhutan border.
The couple shared the video on Instagram with the caption, “Is India really beyond repair now?” The video features two clips: one shot while the couple were on the Indian side of the border, and the other after they had entered Bhutan.
India side vs the Bhutan side
The couple described the Indian side as chaotic, dirty, wrong-side driving, no lane management, and a lack of civic sense among people. Even the video shows dirty streets, shops encroaching onto the road, leaving no space for pedestrians, litter along the roadsides, and chaotic traffic with unnecessary honking.
However, the couple described the Bhutanese side as ‘quiet, clean, lane driving in effect, and no honking.’ Even the video shows traffic following the rules, no honking or noise pollution, and cleaner streets and better civic sense among people.
How did the internet react?
The video divided the internet, with many agreeing that citizens in India lacked civic sense, while others disagreed, stressing that India is more developed.
One Instagram user commented, “India has better infrastructure overall than Bhutan, but our civic sense sucks.” Someone else wrote, “India is absolutely beyond repair now.”
A user commented, “Negative news sells quickly. I would appreciate it if you could also show the positive side. India is a huge country with many problems, but that doesn’t mean you should intentionally focus on the bad content. The mess you are showing is due to a lack of civic sense among some people, but India is great.” Someone else wrote, “Let’s show the negative part of India for views. What is ur contribution to beautifying this part of the border? Just recording video won’t help.”
“It’s the Jaigaon border, and the difference on the other side is unbelievable. Phuentsholing, the small town on the Bhutan border, is so clean. I’ve been there several times—traffic rules are strictly followed, the people are super friendly, and everything feels well-organised. On the Indian side, you’ll see cars parked anywhere; it’s much dirtier, and unfortunately, it often smells awful,” someone else wrote.
Note to readers: This report is based on user-generated content from social media. HT.com has not independently verified the claims and does not endorse them.