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“India cracked me open,” American DJ Diplo shares emotional tribute in viral post
He described his life experiences as extensions of the openness he learned on Indian roads and his overall visit to the country.
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Anushka Pathak - Wed, 03, Dec 2025
- 13:40 EST
- 16
American DJ and music producer Diplo / Courtesy: @diplo via ‘X’
American DJ and music producer Diplo marked 25 years of personal and artistic connection with India with an emotional message on X that quickly went viral.
The artist credited the country with reshaping his creative identity in his post, noting, “India didn’t just teach me independence—it cracked me open creatively. It showed me how improvisation is its own kind of discipline, how getting lost is a form of education.”
The musician described arriving in Delhi at 20 years of age with a second-hand Royal Enfield, limited resources, and a travel partner who left immediately.
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He recalled being given only two guidelines—avoid hitting cows and ride between 2 a.m. and 6 a.m.—a snapshot of the disorientation that shaped his early travels through Kolkata, Rishikesh, and Gujarat.
I was 20 when I first came to India with nothing but a restless mind and an old Enfield I bought from a friend in Delhi who taught me to ride in one dusty afternoon. He took my money, flew back to Florida, and left me with one rule: don’t hit a cow, and only ride between 2–6 a.m.… pic.twitter.com/CxNusvAycg
— diplo (@diplo) December 2, 2025
He said those unplanned months became a turning point. He wrote about swimming in the Ganges, learning yoga from elders, and hunting for old vinyl, moments he now sees as early creative catalysts.
His time volunteering in Gujarat after the 2001 earthquake, he said, shifted his understanding of community and purpose.
An old image of Diplo in India / Courtesy: @diplo via ‘X’
Over the years, India moved from a place of youthful uncertainty to a professional anchor. Diplo highlighted collaborations, including work with Shah Rukh Khan and the global breakout of Major Lazer’s "Lean On."
He described these experiences as extensions of the openness he first learned on Indian roads, writing, "Getting lost is a form of education."
His recent return to the country formed the thread’s conclusion—nine-hour motorcycle rides through the Himalayas, followed by a performance at a Royal Enfield festival in Goa. "India was my beginning. And somehow, it still is," he wrote.
I wish at least 1 out of 10 wealthy Indian men would look at their country the way your average footloose white dude does.
— Ronojoy Mazumdar (@RonoMaz) December 3, 2025
The post drew thousands of responses. One user noted, "Wish more rich Indians saw India the way a footloose white dude does."
Other users shared memories of solo travel and community warmth, with one noting, "Jugaad days were the best."
Amazing. I felt that freedom again reading your words — of traveling into the unknown in India, across a country that welcomes you at every turn as generous hosts, marvels at how far you’ve come and delights in the experiences you live in their land. Jugaad days were the best.
— James (@MyStoryOurWorld) December 3, 2025
The thread has surpassed 11,700 likes and 1,200 reposts as of Dec. 3 and is widely described as one of the platform’s most personal reflections from a global artist in recent years.
Diplo closed by reaffirming the lesson he considers central to his creative life: "The real curriculum was learning to surrender to the unknown. The road is still the best teacher."
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