‘You are not in India’ — Vasundhara Oswal calls out racism and xenophobia in Switzerland in viral post

Vasundhara Oswal, the elder daughter of billionaire Pankaj Oswal, claimed that her family faced racism in Switzerland after her Swiss neighbour demanded that they switch off their lawnmower — “You are not in India.”

She also urged fellow Indians to reconsider spending their "hard-earned money" on tourism or education in a country she claims looks down upon Indian culture.

The racial confrontation

In an Instagram Reel, the Indian-origin heiress said a local Swiss man, unprovoked, demanded that they turn off their lawnmower.

The confrontation, she said, quickly took a racial turn when the man allegedly told them, “You are not in India, we actually respect people here.”

Vasundhara clarified that the incident occurred at 4:00 PM on a standard workday, with “No public holiday, no law, no explanation.” “Just, ‘You’re not in India, we actually respect people here.’”

Vasundhara Oswal questions ‘developed’ mindset

The encounter prompted her to question the core definition of a developed nation. Pointing out the stark contrast between Switzerland's pristine infrastructure and the narrow-mindedness she has experienced from its citizens, Vasundhara said, “You would expect a ‘developed’ country to have more ‘developed’ people, but actually it’s the opposite.”

“Does the development of a nation depend on the infrastructure of a country or the thought process of its people? What makes Western civilisation so much ‘greater’ than Asian in terms of development when their own citizens act like people who have never been exposed to different cultures?” she questioned.

Targeting brown success?

Having lived in Switzerland for eight years and built “one of the largest houses in the country”, Vasundhara Oswal noted that racism in the country remains a massive yet largely unspoken issue.

She specifically highlighted that xenophobia is often targeted at individuals with “different skin tones that are doing better than the average local population.”

The Oswals have lived in Switzerland for nearly a decade and are deeply invested in the country. A few years ago, they made headlines after purchasing Villa Vari, one of the nation's largest and most expensive private residences, for an estimated ₹1,649 crore.

Despite building one of the grandest estates in the country, the heiress's post reveals that immense wealth has not shielded the family from localised prejudice.

Switzerland vs the UK and USA

To back her claims, Vasundhara shared alarming statistics regarding racial discrimination, asserting that the situation in Switzerland is far worse than in the UK or the USA.

Citing that 17% of those living in Switzerland have reported facing racial discrimination, she argued that the country's localised reporting system masks the true scale of the problem.

“17% of those living in Switzerland have reported facing racial discrimination, which is only 4% less than the UK,” she wrote.

While the UK has a strict, centralised system for tracking hate crimes, Switzerland's data is highly fragmented. She pointed out that human rights experts have openly stated that official Swiss data represents only a fraction of actual racist incidents.

Vasundhara warns Indian tourists

Vasundhara asked Indians looking to study, settle, or even vacation in Europe to evaluate whether Switzerland truly deserves the financial support of Indian tourists and expats.

“The next time you choose a country to visit, study or settle down in, you can truly understand if it deserves ‘Indian’ hard-earned money in terms of tourism and other monetary support when actually the local population looks down upon India, Indian culture and Indians,” she wrote.

“Even for a simple holiday—please think twice before supporting those that do not support your culture,” she warned.