New Delhi, July 10 -- For the global Indian elite, a ten-acre estate in one of the wealthiest countries on earth is often viewed as the ultimate symbol of having "arrived". But for the Oswal sisters, Ridi and Vasundhara, their family's sprawling Rs.1,649 crore Swiss property, Villa Vari, did not buy them immunity from what they say is a deeply embedded, systemic xenophobia.

Following a viral video in which a local man hurled racist abuse outside their gates, the sisters shared with LiveMint the reality of being a successful Indian expat in Switzerland.

The harassment captured on camera, the Oswal sisters said, was not an isolated incident of a rogue neighbour. Instead, it was the culmination of a culture of offensive stereotypes against...