Uncivic sense: Entitled behaviour starts from the top – India’s leaders must set a better example
· Scroll
On the weekend, a debate ensued on social media after the emergence of a video showing Indian tourists having a community picnic in an airport terminal purportedly in Vietnam, plates of food spread out on the floor around them.
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“When will we learn to travel with civic sense?” asked industrialist Harsh Goenka in response to the footage.
While many expressed dismay at this scene, some social media users offered justifications for the actions of the tourists: carrying home-cooked food on trips is part of Indian culture; eating on the floor is acceptable in South Asia; what was wrong if nobody was inconvenienced?
Therein lies the problem. Indians have become remarkably adept at defending behaviour that should actually invite introspection.
The issue, after all, is not about culturally specific behaviour patterns. It is the inability to distinguish personal convenience from public responsibility.
Vietnam has become a favourite new destination for Indian travellers. But if we turn their airports into picnic spots, spreading food and litter, we risk becoming very unpopular tourists. When will we learn to travel with civic sense? 😮 pic.twitter.com/pCSC63GHRH
— Harsh Goenka (@hvgoenka) November 7, 2026
The picnic on the floor of the Vietnam airport is symptomatic of the chasm between India’s civilisational self-image and contemporary public culture. Blame for the malaise cannot be...