African man, 21, says he cried and didn't know why during solo India trip
A 21-year-old African solo traveller shared an Instagram post on what he learnt while travelling across India. He said the journey reshaped his view of spirituality, colonial history and identity.
A 21-year-old African man has shared an emotional account of what he learnt while travelling alone across India, as he described the experience as one that changed the way he viewed spirituality, history and identity.
In an Instagram post, the man wrote about his experience in India and also shared a video where he was seen walking through a crowded spot in a city.
“I lived in India solo as a 21-year-old African. Here’s what I learnt,” read the text overlay on the clip.
The man, whose Instagram bio identifies him as a finance graduate and solo traveller, shared five observations from his journey through India.
His first reflection centred on India’s past as a global economic powerhouse and the effects of colonialism.
“This place was once the richest civilisation on earth. Before colonisation, India held 25% of global GDP. Walking through it now - the crumbling grandeur, the gold inside temples surrounded by poverty - you feel that wound everywhere. It hits different when you’re African,” he wrote.
He also described being overwhelmed by India’s sights, sounds and energy.
“Nothing prepares you for the sensory overload. The horns, the smells, the colours, the bodies, the noise - all at once, all the time. Your brain gives up trying to filter and you just surrender. Strangely, it’s the most present I’ve ever felt,” he said.
India’s spiritual traditions, he said, had one of the deepest effects on him.
“The spirituality here cracked something open in me. Not in a tourist way. The rituals, the devotion, the sheer sincerity of it - it bypassed my defences. Emotions I didn’t know I was carrying just surfaced. I cried and didn’t fully know why,” he wrote.
He also described India as feeling like a fantasy world unlike anything he had previously encountered.
“It genuinely feels like a fantasy world. The architecture, the chaos, the colours – it doesn’t feel real. Like someone rendered a civilisation from pure imagination. I kept thinking: nothing I grew up watching prepared me for this,” he said.
In his final takeaway, he reflected on India’s resilience despite its colonial history.
“Looted but never fully broken. The British took everything they could. And yet the soul of this place is unmistakable and intact. There’s a lesson in that I’m still processing,” he added.
He concluded by saying he had also written about how the trip changed the way he thinks about money and identity, suggesting that his time in India left an impression that extended far beyond sightseeing.
A 21-year-old African man has shared an emotional account of what he learnt while travelling alone across India, as he described the experience as one that changed the way he viewed spirituality, history and identity.
In an Instagram post, the man wrote about his experience in India and also shared a video where he was seen walking through a crowded spot in a city.
“I lived in India solo as a 21-year-old African. Here’s what I learnt,” read the text overlay on the clip.
The man, whose Instagram bio identifies him as a finance graduate and solo traveller, shared five observations from his journey through India.
His first reflection centred on India’s past as a global economic powerhouse and the effects of colonialism.
“This place was once the richest civilisation on earth. Before colonisation, India held 25% of global GDP. Walking through it now - the crumbling grandeur, the gold inside temples surrounded by poverty - you feel that wound everywhere. It hits different when you’re African,” he wrote.
He also described being overwhelmed by India’s sights, sounds and energy.
“Nothing prepares you for the sensory overload. The horns, the smells, the colours, the bodies, the noise - all at once, all the time. Your brain gives up trying to filter and you just surrender. Strangely, it’s the most present I’ve ever felt,” he said.
India’s spiritual traditions, he said, had one of the deepest effects on him.
“The spirituality here cracked something open in me. Not in a tourist way. The rituals, the devotion, the sheer sincerity of it - it bypassed my defences. Emotions I didn’t know I was carrying just surfaced. I cried and didn’t fully know why,” he wrote.
He also described India as feeling like a fantasy world unlike anything he had previously encountered.
“It genuinely feels like a fantasy world. The architecture, the chaos, the colours – it doesn’t feel real. Like someone rendered a civilisation from pure imagination. I kept thinking: nothing I grew up watching prepared me for this,” he said.
In his final takeaway, he reflected on India’s resilience despite its colonial history.
“Looted but never fully broken. The British took everything they could. And yet the soul of this place is unmistakable and intact. There’s a lesson in that I’m still processing,” he added.
He concluded by saying he had also written about how the trip changed the way he thinks about money and identity, suggesting that his time in India left an impression that extended far beyond sightseeing.
