"Grateful to Study in SA": South African Student in India Shares National Anthem Ritual in Video

• A South African student studying in India shared a day-in-the-life TikTok showing campus life abroad
• She described a culture shock where all students must stand still every morning while India's national anthem plays
• South Africans in the comments could not believe the anthem rule was a daily occurrence and cracked jokes

A South African student known on TikTok as @lifewithsibe gave her followers an unfiltered look at what a typical day studying in India actually feels like, and one detail in particular stopped the comments section in its tracks.

Posted on 10 July 2026, the video follows her through auto-rickshaw rides on busy Indian streets, walks along a tree-lined campus path, and time spent in a classroom pointing out electrical switchboards during what appears to be an engineering or technical course.

India's anthem stops everything

The moment that sparked the most conversation was her description of the 9 am national anthem ritual. Every single morning, wherever students are on campus, everything stops. No one moves. Everyone stands still while the anthem plays. She described it as a genuine culture shock, something she was still wrapping her head around.

Read also

"Let them enjoy": Wealthy Zimbabwean daughter flies to SA to buy Woolies groceries and designer bags

For South Africans used to a very different kind of school-day routine, the idea of a mandatory daily standstill left many viewers floored.

She also gave viewers a peek at the lighter side of student life abroad. Arriving late to a 7:30 am class after a bathroom break, she returned to find a classmate had quietly abandoned the assigned internship work to watch the World Cup instead.

Watch her day-in-the-life clip from India here:

Mzansi Reacts to Life in India

South Africans had plenty to say in the comments on @lifewithsibe's TikTok:

@Mbatha onezinto zakhe wrote:

"Every day as in every day???"

@_karabomasilela asked:

"How do they play the national anthem? 😭 So there are speakers everywhere to play the national anthem?"

@niina_n shared:

"Yoh girl, the anthem thing used to stress me so much whenever I was late for class and at my uni we also had the 'uni anthem' that'd play 5 mins later... lapho Sir na Ma'am are already in class 😂😭"

Read also

Unathi Nkayi's video singing off-key in studio cracks Mzansi

@ART 07 PA22ION said:

"I now have reason to be grateful to study here in South Africa. I can now say I'm privileged."

@StellaGrace added:

"At least you still have your TikTok 😩 I wasn't able to use TikTok when I was there and lost my followers 🥺"

@🎀𝒵𝒶𝓂𝒶 𝒟𝑒𝒦 𝑀𝓃𝑔𝓊𝓃🎀 joked:

"Is it my phone or your vlogs just end njeeh esikhaleni 😩"

Other Briefly News stories about South Africans in other countries

• People were stunned by a South African man’s walking tour of Gweru, Zimbabwe, where he praised the city for its cleanliness compared to Johannesburg.
• A South African woman's heartwarming journey to Zimbabwe for a family wedding showcased her experiences from trying local delicacies to participating in traditional ceremonies.
• South African-born vet, known as The Howzit Guy, reflected on the controversial aspects he misses about home while living in the UK.

Source: Briefly News