In an age where social media travel feeds are filled with picture-perfect photos, Indian travel content creator and filmmaker Sharanya Iyer – also known as ‘TrulynoMadly’ – chose the road less travelled. Speaking to HindustanTimes.com, the 36-year-old opened up about her recent two-week trip to Afghanistan, offering a raw, unfiltered look at a country where tourists rarely visit.
Sharanya, who quit her corporate job in 2019 to travel full-time, made it clear that it was never her intention to present a romanticized or sanitized version of the country. Speaking to HindustanTimes.com, she reflected on the vast difference between how Afghanistan treats its women and how tourists are treated.
no whiteness
The Taliban regained control of Afghanistan after the withdrawal of US-led forces in August 2021. Since returning to power, the Taliban have imposed a strict interpretation of Islamic law, which has particularly reshaped the daily lives of women and girls.
Women are banned from attending secondary schools and universities, banned from most jobs, banned from traveling long distances without a male guardian, and required to follow strict dress codes. They have also been kept out of many public places including parks, gyms and beauty salons.
“The one thing I deliberately didn’t want to do was come back afghanistan And present only a white version of the country. “A lot of travelers, especially from Western countries, have been criticized for showing only the positive side,” Sharanya told hindustantimes.com.
“Are there beautiful places in Afghanistan? Absolutely. Are the people warm and hospitable? Absolutely. But does that mean we stop talking about what is happening to women there? I believe the answer is no.”
Why did he choose Afghanistan?
For Sharanya Iyer, the fascination with Afghanistan was deeply rooted in the literature and history she witnessed growing up, ranging from Rabindranath Tagore’s Kabuliwala to Khaled Hosseini’s novels. She was attracted to the country’s ancient heritage and shared history with India.
When asked why he decided to travel to Afghanistan – a country facing boycotts on multiple fronts due to its governance, the travel vlogger explained that his perspective on traveling to heavily sanctioned countries was first revamped during a month-long solo backpacking trip through Iran in 2022.
(Also read: Afghan women affected by Taliban education ban go online to fulfill dreams)
Her experience in Iran taught her to separate the country’s citizens from its ruling regime – a philosophy she took with her when planning a trip to Afghanistan. He also desired a sense of genuine discovery that he felt was lost in modern, over-documented tourist centres.
From Kabul to Bamiyan: Cost and Logistics
Departing New Delhi in November 2025, Sharanya flew straight to Kabul on an Afghan airline, Kam Air, with a cabin filled mostly with Afghan locals returning home after working in India.
Architectural sites and archaeological heritage formed the core of Sharanya’s itinerary. He traveled to the valley of Bamiyan in the Hindu Kush mountains, exploring the empty spaces where the world’s tallest Buddha statues stood before they were destroyed by the Taliban in 2021.
Apart from Kabul and Bamiyan, she also visited Panjshir Valley, Ghazni and Kandahar, which is a Taliban stronghold.
The entire journey of 12 to 13 days cost him approximately ₹2.1 lakh, an amount which included flights, accommodation, food, fuel and entry tickets. Since she was filming her trip, she hired a private guide and driver.
(Also read: The women’s rights crisis in Afghanistan is an ongoing humanitarian disaster)
“Over the past year or so, the Taliban have made it mandatory for tourists to travel with a guide because you need a permit to go between every province. Had to show my passport, and arranged for all the permits before landing in Afghanistan,” the travel vlogger explained.
“You have to plan your route in advance, and you’ll need a guide because they’re the ones who apply for permits. At each checkpoint, they show documents, and if the Taliban decide to call you out of the car, they’ll have a brief conversation with you before letting you go. I had a local guide and a driver throughout my trip to travel between provinces.”
silent crisis
While Sharanya observed stunning landscapes and warm hospitality, the dark reality of systemic human rights abuses – particularly the extreme oppression of women – was of no concern to her.
“So, if you are not bound by the laws that Afghan women are bound by, you will see the warmth of the people. You will see them going out of their way to host you… Afghan people are very hospitable. They love Indians. They won’t let you pay,” the 36-year-old said.
However, most of the women’s rights violations shown in the media are true. Women are not allowed to run businesses, cannot go out without being accompanied by a male relative, and thus have little personal freedom.
She revealed, “Women are not allowed to go to school after the sixth grade. I saw girls going to school in their uniforms, but they were young girls. Women are not allowed to go to universities anymore.”
“In Kabul, I still saw women. They wore burqas but you could see them going to the market in pairs. Outside Kabul, I didn’t see any women unless they were accompanied by men.”
The Taliban strictly enforces the Mahram rule, which requires women to be accompanied by a close male relative in public places. This has severely restricted the movement of women in Afghanistan.
During her two-week stay, Sharanya observed parks and public places completely devoid of women. Men, on the other hand, could travel freely.
Sharanya said, “Kabul is considered a little more forward looking than the rest of Afghanistan. I went to a restaurant there at night where women were dining with men. But wherever I traveled, there was a separate section for men and a separate section for women. Since I was with my guide, I sat in the men’s section instead of the women’s section.”
They are for the Taliban… and those who are trying to flee
During his conversations with ordinary citizens in local markets and restaurants, a recurring, heartbreaking theme emerged: an overwhelming desire to escape.
Many locals quietly contacted him, asking for assistance with visas to India or financial assistance to help relocate their families. The frustration was especially deep among fathers who were concerned about the future and education of their young daughters.
She revealed the story of a local man who told her he was saving money so he could escape Afghanistan with his two daughters. The Indian influencer did not reveal the local man’s name or location out of concern for his safety.
(Also read: Taliban were ‘capturing and killing us’: Afghan intelligence officer who fled to Delhi on last flight from Kabul)
Also, he observed that many local people support the Taliban to bring a sense of order to the war-torn country.
“Whatever negative the Taliban have done – and there is a lot of negative – they have also brought some degree of stability after decades of war,” he said.
“Afghanistan went through the Soviet invasion, years of civil conflict, and then the American presence. People have been living with instability for decades.
“When I spoke to local people, many of them told me that, for the first time in years, they were not living with bombs, violence or constant war.”
“It’s easy for people outside Afghanistan to ask, “Why don’t men rise up? Why don’t they fight Taliban? Why are they not protecting women? But it is not that easy,” Sharanya added.
“The Taliban is now extremely powerful and has deep financial support. As outsiders, especially if we are feminists, it is very easy to condemn the Taliban – and I certainly do. But I also cannot ignore what ordinary Afghans told me.”
Why boycotting Afghanistan is not the answer
Despite the inherent political risks and the possibility that her critical social media comments could prevent her from returning to Afghanistan, Sharanya Iyer stands firmly against the idea of boycotting or isolating the country altogether. He believes that tourism provides a vital economic lifeline to ordinary citizens who have become completely isolated from the wealth of the ruling regime.
However, he issued a stern warning to interested travelers, saying that Afghanistan is not a standard holiday destination and requires a high level of travel experience and a willingness to handle extreme logistical uncertainty.
“I think the biggest lesson for me is that you can’t boycott an entire country because of its governance, no matter how terrible its laws are. If we completely stop going to places like Afghanistan, I believe we will further alienate ordinary people and take away what little opportunities they have to earn a living,” Sharanya Iyer concluded.
“It’s a challenging destination, and you need to understand the risks before you decide to go. But once you get there, I think it’s important to keep an open mind and remember that you’re traveling for the place as well as the people.”
