An Indian traveller took to Reddit to reflect on his recent trip to Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, drawing comparisons with India. In the post, he spoke about having low expectations for his “unplanned vacation to Malaysia” and how he was left speechless by the country’s civic sense and governance. The post has since sparked an online discussion, with netizens weighing in with their opinions.
“I’m Ashamed,” Indian Traveller After Visiting Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia
Just back from Kuala Lumpur and I’m ashamed.
byu/Desi_stoic inindia
In the Reddit post titled “Just back from Kuala Lumpur and I’m ashamed,” the Indian traveller shares about his recent trip to Malaysia. He had initially planned to travel to Vietnam, but had to cancel due to heavy rains. With low expectations, he booked an unplanned vacation to Kuala Lumpur and was greatly impressed by the city.
“I have always advocated against the idea of Indians settling abroad, but suddenly I felt bad for those foreigners who visit India for vacations or the NRIs who have to return to India due to various reasons. The KL city looked very well planned and organised,” he said in the post.
The post then elaborated about how there were not “potholes on roads, no politicians’ photo or banners, cleanliness everywhere, top class civic sense, great quality of life, clean air and helpful people.”
His experience made him reflect and draw comparisons between India and Malaysia. He added that despite having the resources and potential, India struggles with basic amenities. Furthermore, he feels that Indians seem to have given up on government and municipal bodies. “Don’t wanna be all negative but honestly, I have kind of lost hope and seeing the present circumstances, the goal looks very far away,” he concluded.
Netizens Weigh In & Share Their Two Cents
As you can imagine, the Reddit post ignited a lively online debate, highlighting the gap between India’s vast potential, everyday challenges faced by citizens, and how different it is from Malaysia. Many of them even shared their own experiences after visiting countries like Japan, Germany, and Singapore.
“I visited Japan as my first international country from Delhi. Man, I expected shockers but the magnitude of it…I wasn’t prepared for it,” one of the users commented on the post.
Another netizen shared, “I went to Vietnam and Thailand, and it was the same story. I felt awful about my country and kept looking up GDP and income per person to try and make sense of things. I couldn’t find any good reasons, you know? Even little tourist towns in Vietnam have better stuff than some of our bigger cities. I had a great time, but it made me feel kinda down about home. I’m still trying to figure out what we’re messing up.”
“South East Asia emphasises cleanliness a lot in their culture. Not just in your house but outside too. I stayed in one for a while, and the culture was for school kids to clean their own schools every morning. They were taught to keep their places clean from childhood. Indians constantly keep their homes clean, but treat any place other than their house as a complete garbage dump. Literally throwing garbage wherever instead of just carrying it with them until the next garbage bin,” another one commented.
What are your thoughts about this post comparing India and Malaysia? Let us know in the comments.
Cover Image Courtesy: Canva Pro/pat138241
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