When we think of ‘developed nations,’ we often picture pristine infrastructure, strong economies, and world-class cities. But a deeply unsettling question has been taking centre stage globally: Does a nation’s development truly lie in its skyscrapers, or in the mindset of its people? This reality hit home recently for entrepreneur sister duo Vasundhara and Ridi Oswal. Despite living in Switzerland for nearly a decade and building one of the grandest estates in the country, the sisters took to social media to share a jarring, unprovoked encounter right at their doorstep.
Ridi and Vasundhara Oswal in an exclusive chat with hindustantimes.com. (Ridi and Vasundhara Oswal.)
Confronted by a stranger with the words, “You are not in India,” they chose not to stay silent. Instead, they used the moment to spark an urgent conversation on the unspoken realities of casual racism and xenophobia that many face.
In an exclusive chat with Hindustantimes.com, the Oswal sisters unpacked the viral incident and also opened up about the deeper biases underlying it. They talked about facing racism, right from when they were in school.
What happened on that day?
Ridi, who recorded the video and also confronted the man in French, alleged that the person suddenly came up to their estate and started screaming. Their gardener approached the man and connected him to the family over FaceTime. Ridi told Hindustantimes.com that the man immediately accused them of disturbing others by using a blower.
This allegedly continued, despite the sisters telling him there are no laws against using the equipment on a Thursday afternoon. Vasundhara recalled that only their family was targeted, as a neighbour was doing the same thing, but the man didn’t approach them.
The sisters recalled that the man finally ran away after they started asking for his name and when their father, entrepreneur Pankaj Oswal, intervened.
“So this guy, he was a complete stranger. He was not a neighbour. He was someone who had walked from about two houses or three houses down. Like, we don’t know where he came from. He came into this, into our property on the outside of our gate. When he came, you know, he came in a kachha baniyan, first of all. So my father was laughing at that. And he [the man] just started screaming at us. He started screaming outside our gate. He started, you know, started really making a lot of noise. So that’s when our gardener stepped outside, who’s inside. It’s a 10-acre property,” the sisters recalled.
They continued, “So he was actually outside the gates and he was on, like, the outside area and he started screaming. So it’s really, you know, it’s a huge property. So from the outside, first of all, you can’t hear anything, let alone from the inside. And he wasn’t our neighbour.”
Ridi explained, “Our gardener went out and he basically, because my gardener also doesn’t speak French, he gave the phone to me. So we were on FaceTime, basically, and he gave the phone and he just started screaming. I started stating the law to him. I started saying, you know, first of all, it’s Thursday. It’s a Thursday afternoon. There’s no law saying that we can’t use a blower.”
“Targeting the Indian community”
The sisters alleged that there have been many instances where the locals have targeted the Indian community. “The neighbour was also using the blower, by the way. He didn’t want to attack the neighbour because the neighbour, you know, is not Indian, quite frankly. So he came to us and started targeting us.”
Ridi, with Vasundhara sitting by her side, recalled, “I didn’t know who he was. And then after that, he just started saying, you’re not India, you know, you can’t, you know, you… we actually respect people here, insinuating that in India, we don’t respect people. And that’s obviously what really triggered us because we don’t accept racism at all. And especially because we’re wealthy Indians. It is definitely more targeted because as we see, they like to look down upon Indians.”
Though they wanted to take legal action against the man, they were unable to verify his identity.
“Growing up with racism”
The sisters recalled, though jarring, that this was not the first instance of racism they faced. While growing up, they faced it in high school. Ridi recalled being called “curry muncher”.
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She opened up about facing religious mockery at school, recalling how her fellow students made derogatory remarks about cows and told her, “We eat your God.” She further alleged that the authorities swept it under the rug rather than taking action.
Swiss image of India:
The Oswal siblings alleged that Swiss locals frequently perceive Indians as poor and treat them as second-class citizens. They further claimed that this discriminatory attitude specifically targets the Indian community, contrasting sharply with how other immigrant groups settled in Switzerland are treated.
Exploring their roots:
To counter this deep-seated prejudice, the Oswal siblings turned inward, finding strength by exploring their roots. Reconnecting with their Indian heritage became a powerful way to look past local biases and rebuild a sense of pride in their community.
Whenever time permits, they visit India to explore its cultural heritage, often making pilgrimages to sacred sites such as Haridwar.
