A Polish woman called out a frustrating pattern she claimed repeats itself every time she visits a new place in India with her husband, people assuming he’s her driver or tour guide.
Gabriela, who is married to an Indian man, Hardik Varma, shared her experience in a video post on Instagram. Addressing the recurring issue that she described as “awkward and disappointing,” she said, “This is rude.”
The couple, often seen travelling together, have apparently been on the receiving end of mistaken assumptions from shopkeepers, taxi drivers, and locals.
“The most awkward moment is whenever we come to a new place in India. We wouldn’t talk about it but sadly it is NOT a rare occurrence anymore,” she said in her post.
“Basically, every second shopkeeper or taxi/auto driver assumes that Hardik is my tour guide and in some circumstances my driver Why??” she questioned.
Her post didn’t stop at the complaint. Gabriela went on to defend her husband’s presence beside her, saying, “Which girl walks around keeping hands and taking 1000s pictures with her tour guide??”
She accompanied her message with a lip-syncing reel, calling out such assumptions as outright rude.
Take a look at her post here:
Social media users flooded the comments section. While several users defended the couple, others tossed in jokes.
“Maybe you should marry again in India with a big announcement like your motor tour!”a user said, while another added, “To be honest, he looks like one. Get him a new barber.”
One of the users recalled how their friend played along with the assumption: “He started telling people a fake story of what it takes to become a ‘Gori mam’ tour guide. In no time, he was surrounded by men genuinely interested in switching careers.”
“Most husbands, by default, are tour guides and drivers for their wives and kids. It comes with the job,” said a user.
Gabriela’s message cut through clearly. Some assumptions are no longer harmless. And next time someone sees a cross-cultural couple holding hands, maybe they’ll think ‘husband’ before ‘driver’.