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Polish woman confronts stereotypes as locals repeatedly mistake her Indian husband for a driver

Her reel has drawn over 300,000 views, prompting supportive feedback followed by firsthand anecdotes of cultural bias faced by cross-cultural couples

Gabriela and Hardik Varma, an Indian-Polish couple.
'He's my husband, not driver': Polish woman slams stereotypes faced in India
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Overview

  • On May 21, Gabriela shared a lip-syncing Instagram reel highlighting how shopkeepers, taxi drivers and auto rickshaw drivers in India routinely assume her husband Hardik Varma is her guide or driver.
  • The video has surged in popularity, accumulating more than 300,000 views and becoming a trending topic across social media platforms.
  • Commenters offered mixed reactions, with many expressing solidarity and others recounting humorous or similar misidentifications while traveling.
  • Gabriela and Hardik have built a substantial Instagram following by documenting their shared travel experiences and cultural explorations throughout India.
  • The ongoing conversation has spotlighted persistent cultural assumptions toward interracial couples and spurred calls for greater respect and awareness.