A video showing a senior German diplomat experiencing rural Indian life has gone viral on social media, with users praising him for showing respect to the local tradition and culture.
Marius Osswald, the Minister Counsellor and Head of Political Affairs at the German Embassy in New Delhi, recently decided to spend some time spend with the farmers of India and understand their work.
The video was shared by the German Embassy New Delhi, with the caption, "Few diplomats have probably ever gotten their hands as dirty at work as Marius, our political counsellor."
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During his visit, Osswald met with a local farmer, Pramod Sharma, who welcomed him and offered a friendly challenge to see if the foreign official could handle the reality of village life.
When Osswald said "it's too hot", Sharma asked him to ditch his blazer and wrap a traditional gamchha (towel) around his neck. From there, they headed straight to the animal shelter to do the chores.
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Click here to watch the video
Osswald then moved on to prepare animal fodder, tried his hand at operating a hand-powered chaff cutter, and fed the livestock.
In one of the video's standout moments, he was asked to pick up and clear away cow dung.
When the diplomat hesitated slightly and asked if it was dirty, Sharma warmly reassured him that the animals were part of the family and completely clean.
"But if we want Indians to make it in Germany, we also need to prove, that we can make it in India. This time the challenge was a more traditional one - farming! What do you think, did Marius make it?" the caption added.
Social media reactions
With the video, the German Embassy pointed out that true cross-cultural understanding goes both ways. As the video went viral, viewers flooded the comment section to applaud Osswald's gesture.
"Haha, this is a nice initiative to adapt to the local people and understand them. True farm life is not easy. Best of luck for the future lessons. Will stay tuned for more," one user wrote in the comment section.
"Well done sir... respect for you for venturing into the unknown so wholeheartedly," another user stated.
"First lesson in Indian farming: Feed the cows. Second lesson: Clean up after them!" a third user said.
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