A Norwegian mayor has been spotted driving a yellow auto-rickshaw on the roads of Gujarat, and his act has turned him into an instant Instagram sensation. Jo Inge Hesjevik, the mayor of Porsanger Municipality in Norway, was participating in the adventurous ride, navigating the streets of Limbdi.
The video went viral after the unusual sight caught the attention of a local man. He spotted the mayor and his companion stopping at his food stall. He recorded the moment and shared the video on Instagram, describing Hesjevik as “down to Earth.”
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The video has since grabbed attention online. In the video, the mayor 's companion, Øyvind Hesjevik, also commented: “It was a great pleasure meeting you!”
The Instagram handle of Hesjevik is full of their clips of India tour. Besides Gujarat, they visited Delhi and Jaisalmer as well. As per Hesjevik's Instagram bio, they will be in India till Oct. 11 as part of the “Rickshaw Run in India”, a popular adventure rally in which participants travel across the country in auto-rickshaws.
“A few days in Oslo with falafel on the menu had given us a slight head start, but we still weren't prepared for Indian cuisine and its local flora,” one of the Instagram posts read.
Sharing his experience, the mayor revealed that faced some unusual challenges during the trip, including bumpy roads and “sacred” cows on those roads at night.
“Shaking hands with dozens of people on the street every day, many of whom have apparently never seen a white man before, isn't helping either,...” he further said in Norwegian.
The mayor also shared he gave over 10 people a ride on his auto during the trip. “The last two were local drunkards who had crossed into a neighbouring state where alcohol wasn't prohibited,” referring to Gujarat being a dry state.
“They didn't speak a single word of English, but that didn't stop them from enthusiastically communicating with us in Hindi, through mime and sign language,” he further said.
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His post concluded with noting that he still had a very long distance to cover and was far from his target of picking at least 50 hitchhikers.
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