A Seattle-based creator posted a video recently with a title guaranteed to get clicks: “What’s the worst part about living in India?” The punchline? Everything he complained about actually makes the country objectively better than most places on Earth!Yuvaan Ibañez Garware, a Seattle-based content creator, has spent over 16 years in India. Born to a Colombian father and an Indian mother, he grew up in India before moving to Singapore and the United States for education. Currently working in the US, his background gives him a particular vantage point. He has lived on both sides of the comparison and isn’t shy about which side has real advantages. In his video, he spoke about some of the best things about India, though it was framed in a rather sarcastic way. Each supposed ‘worst part’ is evidence of something India does well! The caption reads, “What’s the worst part about living in India?”
Healthcare
The first item on his list of ‘worst’ things is healthcare. Garware spoke about how India’s healthcare is high quality and shockingly affordable! “It’s so high quality and so cheap that I don’t know what to do with the rest of my money. Like, I got an MRI, X-ray, and blood work done for less than 100 USD,” he said.The contrast is crucial. In the US, those same tests run into the thousands. If the insurance does not cover them, you’re looking at $1,500 to $3,000 easily out of your pocket.
Quick e-commerce
The same-day delivery options feel rather ancient for Indians because of quick e-commerce apps, which deliver groceries and essentials in under 10 minutes in major cities. “In India, I can press two buttons and have groceries delivered to my door in under 10 minutes for a fraction of the cost. It’s gotten to the point now in the US where same-day delivery with Amazon does not cut it,” the creator shared.
Community
The third thing on Garware’s ‘worst’ list has to be the community. In India, people actually know their neighbours.He explained the West Coast phenomenon of how you can live next to someone for five years and never speak. It’s not necessarily rudeness. It’s just how the social default works in most cities in the West, where people are self-contained, scheduled, and maximally private. But India is different. People like to know who their neighbours are. In fact, most of them have a rapport similar to that of a family. “I feel like in Western cities, you can live next to someone for five years and never even talk to them,” he said.The creator spoke about how things are different in India. He knows his neighbours and even gets invited to their family gatherings and celebrations. “But in India, I can meet someone, have a good conversation, and suddenly I’m adopted by their whole family, I know all their aunties, and I’m invited to the wedding,” he said. The social fabric in India works differently. In this country, strangers are rarely strangers for very long.
Internet reaction
The video has garnered massive attention on Instagram, with over 629K views. It has received both positive and negative responses online. One Instagram user appreciated the man’s video and added, “We are so glad!” Another agreed, “Born and lived there 28 years, my life felt so rich in all aspects.” A third said, “It is so true. I have never lived in India for more than 3 months. It is so true about everything you said; I can relate completely.”One netizen criticised the affordability of living in India: “It’s fun when you earn in dollars and spend in INR.” Another said, “Ask the bottom 60% of the population of India how great healthcare is.”One netizen argued that in the US, healthcare is better than the creator claims. The man revealed that he has been living with chronic health conditions for the past two decades. He needs MRIs after every doctor’s visit, has had several surgeries, and is on eight different medications, but he has ‘never paid anything’. “My government health care company, UnitedHealthcare, is a Medicare Advantage plan. I get $2,500 USD towards hearing, $2,000 towards dental, $400 towards vision, plus $250 for healthy foods and other perks, and for all of this I’ve never paid a dime, so what does this kid know about healthcare in the US?” the man asked.He also argued that despite living in the rural parts, his groceries get delivered in no time. The netizen further added, “As far as talking to someone, and next thing you know, you’re part of the family. Personally, I like my privacy as do most US families. I couldn’t care less who lives next to me, but then again, I don’t have a neighbor a mile in any direction, and I love it. But then again, the US isn’t facing overpopulation, and although we obviously have garbage, we don’t just throw litter on the ground.”The user also spoke about the ‘unsanitary’ street food and the lack of proper waste disposal in the country. “I have friends from India, so I watch lots of videos from India, and it looks trashy, and the street food preparation looks horribly unsanitary. I do know that my Indian friends living in the US say they would never return.”
