A Lithuanian woman living in India has gone viral on social media after rejecting common Western stereotypes about cleanliness in India and praised everyday habits she says are often overlooked abroad. In an Instagram post that has received more than 600,000 views, she said one thing she particularly admires in India is the importance people give to personal cleanliness and hygiene. “In India, I see people taking personal hygiene seriously, and honestly, I think it's a very good habit. It makes you feel better and shows respect to people around you, too,” she wrote.
The woman said many Europeans wrongly assume people in Indian villages and smaller towns live “simple” lives, but after spending years in India, she believes the country still protects several social values that are disappearing in the West.
“I know this may be controversial, but after living in India for years, I noticed there are actually quite a few things Western countries could learn from Indian culture,” she wrote in the caption.
“Many people from Europe visit villages or smaller towns in India and think people are ‘simple’. But honestly, some of the values I found here are something we are slowly losing in the West.”
‘Some values are slowly disappearing in the West’
The Lithuanian woman said many travellers from Europe visit smaller Indian towns and villages and often judge people too quickly. According to her, the deeper cultural values visible in daily Indian life are becoming rare in several Western societies.
