‘Stuck in This Stupid Capsule’: Indian Woman’s Viral Video Highlights Passport Privilege

New Delhi: An Indian woman shared a video on Instagram documenting her struggle with her Indian passport after missing a flight, which has since gone viral.

Anisha filmed the video from a small hotel room that was given to her after she and several other passengers missed their flight due to a delay.

She said that while other passengers on the missed flight were provided five-star hotels for their stay, she was given a capsule-sized room in a German airport.

“I never really cared about my passport until now,” she said in her video.

“My flight from Frankfurt got missed because the connecting flight was delayed,” Arora explained, adding: “So while other passengers are getting free stays at five-star hotels and free breakfasts and dinners, I am stuck in this stupid capsule.”

In the video, she spoke about her Indian passport, saying that those who hold a US passport had 20 hours in which they could explore Germany. Meanwhile, she had to remain in her small room because she did not have a Schengen visa.

“Any other US citizen in my position would have been so happy because they just got everything for free and 20 hours to explore a new country—but not me, because I have an Indian passport,” New York-based Anisha Arora said.

The video has since gone viral on social media, where many people supported her and shared their own experiences of how they are treated for holding Indian passports.

Netizen React

One user wrote, “Why are people angry? She is right. That’s how Indian passport holders are treated in almost all developed countries. You don’t really understand how bad it is until you actually come to Europe or the US.”

Another said, “Asking genuinely—could you exit the airport if you don’t have a visa for the transit country? Could Americans do so because their passport allows visa on arrival?”

A third user commented, “I cried at the VFS office while getting my Schengen visa. I’m giving up my Indian passport the first chance I get.”