Gujarat man chats with foreign traveller, one Google search reveals his real identity

A Gujarat man chatting with a foreign traveller later learnt he was a Norwegian mayor. The chance meeting drew attention because the politician was crossing India in a tuk-tuk.Gujarat man meets foreigner travelling in tuk-tuk (Photos: @chintan__matiya/Instagram)A man from Gujarat struck up a conversation with a foreign traveller and heard about his adventures travelling around India in a tuk-tuk. It was only after a quick Google search that he discovered he had been chatting with a Norwegian mayor.Chintan Matiya, an Instagram user, shared a video of the unexpected encounter, showing how he met the Norwegian traveller while he was in Gujarat.In the video, Chintan turned the camera towards himself and the man and explained that he had just discovered the traveller was the mayor of Porsanger Municipality in Norway’s Finnmark county. He said he had searched for him on Google after meeting him and was surprised to find out about his political role.The man was Jo Inge Hesjevik, who has served as the mayor of Porsanger Municipality since 2023. He is also associated with Norway’s Conservative Party, Høyre. Chintan then praised Hesjevik for being down to earth and friendly, pointing out that the Norwegian politician was travelling through India in a tuk-tuk. Hesjevik smiled and waved at the camera as Matiya introduced him.The video then cut to the vehicle itself, showing the colourful tuk-tuk that Hesjevik and his companion were using during their journey. The auto-rickshaw was decorated with bright sunflower designs, making it stand out as they travelled through Gujarat. As revealed in Chintan’s caption, 61 people from different parts of the world had come together to travel across India in 37 tuk-tuks, exploring places ranging from forests and mountains to other parts of the country.Watch the video here:The unexpected identity reveal amused viewers, with some joking that meeting a Norwegian mayor in a tuk-tuk would make for quite a story.Others shared their own experiences of foreigners travelling across India in auto-rickshaws and exploring the country on their own terms.- Ends