logo
Delhi Restaurant Plasters 'All Indian Attire Allowed' Sign After Severe Backlash

Delhi Restaurant Plasters 'All Indian Attire Allowed' Sign After Severe Backlash

NDTV4 days ago
Following severe backlash to reports of denying customers entry to the restaurant owing to their Indian attire, the Delhi-based diner has put up a fresh sign, clarifying its position. In a viral video, the staff of the Pitampura restaurant can be seen putting up two notices outside the building. One of the notices reads, "All types of Indian attire is allowed in the restaurant (saree, suit, etc).
The second notice details various policies, including outside food, liquor, and management rights to ensure no further damage to the restaurant brand.
Reacting to the restaurant plastering the notices, social media users commented that the owners had finally learned their lesson from the fiasco.
"Better to paste the notice than be shut down," said one user, while another added, "The restaurant would have closed immediately. The owner finally understood."
A third commented: "The restaurant owner has realised the power of social media. Kudos to the couple for standing their ground."
See the viral video here:
View this post on Instagram
A post shared by Rohini wale (@rohini_walee)
What happened?
The incident took place last week when a couple sought entry into the restaurant. The video circulating on social media showed the man sporting a T-shirt and pants while the woman wore a kurta-salwar. While others were allowed entry, the couple alleged that the manager of the restaurant misbehaved with them and denied them entry, owing to their 'Indian' attire.
As the clip went viral, Delhi cabinet minister Kapil Mishra took cognisance of the issue, stating that Chief Minister Rekha Gupta had been apprised of the matter.
In a subsequent post, Mr Mishra informed that the restaurant owners will no longer impose any attire ban on customers for entry to their establishment.
"The operators of this Pitampura restaurant have accepted that they will no longer impose any restrictions based on attire and will welcome citizens coming in Indian attire. On Rakshabandhan, they will also offer some discounts to sisters coming in Indian attire," said Mr Mishra.
रक्षाबंधन पर भारतीय परिधानों में आने वाली बहनों को कुछ डिस्काउंट भी देंगे 🙂 @gupta_rekha https://t.co/YFkmOaj8i7 pic.twitter.com/k0qRzyPCot
— Kapil Mishra (@KapilMishra_IND) August 8, 2025
Restaurant owner Neeraj Aggarwal rejected the allegations, stating that the couple had not booked a table, due to which they were denied entry. He said the restaurant has no attire policy, adding that all customers are welcome.
Orange background

Try Our AI Features

Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:

Comments

No comments yet...

Related Articles

Madness of religious extremism: Baloch leader condemns Munir's nuke threat to India
Madness of religious extremism: Baloch leader condemns Munir's nuke threat to India

Hans India

time15 minutes ago

  • Hans India

Madness of religious extremism: Baloch leader condemns Munir's nuke threat to India

Washington: Tara Chand, President of Baloch American Congress, on Wednesday slammed Pakistani Army Chief Field Marshal Asim Munir for making nuclear threats, calling him a "fake Field Marshal" and an "enemy" of humanity. This comes as Munir, during his US visit over the weekend, warned that Pakistan will never allow India to choke the Indus River and will defend its water rights at all costs, even if the forces will have to destroy any dam that India seeks to build on it. Chand, also a former Cabinet Minister in the Government of Balochistan, took to X and posted, "Pakistan's fake Field Marshal, General Asim Munir, who has threatened in America to destroy India and the world with his nuclear bombs, should be ashamed of himself. He is the number one enemy of humanity, driven by the madness of religious extremism under the banner of Islam. He seeks to destroy the world along with India." Flagging it as a wake-up call, the US-based Baloch leader called on the world leaders to take back all of Pakistan's nuclear weapons and impose economic, political, and international sanctions on the country. Raising concern, Chand stated that before "religiously-motivated" Pakistan and its leadership can act on their destructive ambitions, their nuclear weapons have to be removed in order to prevent the rogue state from bringing harm to the world. Munir, the Pakistani media reported on Monday, visited two US cities over the weekend and flew to Belgium on Sunday after completing his second high-profile trip to the United States in less than two months. Earlier in May, Chand wrote to Prime Minister Narendra Modi and lauded India's decision to hold the Indus Water Treaty in abeyance. He also urged New Delhi to provide support to the "free Balochistan" movement. On behalf of the Baloch community in America, he extended his gratitude to PM Modi for the stance India has taken regarding the plight of the Baloch in Pakistan since 2016. "Your mention of Balochistan in your speech at the Red Fort was welcomed by the Baloch worldwide as a sign of moral support for a nation occupied, subjugated, and terrorised by Pakistan. It gave great hope to my Baloch people," the letter mentioned. "I laud your wise decision of holding the Indus Water Treaty in abeyance and making it clear to the jihadist generals of Pakistan that blood and water cannot flow together," it added. He mentioned that since Pakistan's occupation of Balochistan in 1948, the Baloch people have been severely oppressed by the machinery of the rogue state. Chand slammed the jihadist Pakistani Army for the countless forcible disappearances and killings of the people of Balochistan. He described the abuses as a part of the strategy adopted by Islamabad to suppress the freedom struggle movement of Balochistan, which the people have been waging since Pakistan forcibly annexed Balochistan. The Baloch leader had requested the Indian government to adopt a policy of political, moral, and diplomatic support for the Baloch national resistance against the occupation of Pakistan.

Ahead of Trump-Putin Meeting, Zelensky Says He Won't Exchange Land for Peace
Ahead of Trump-Putin Meeting, Zelensky Says He Won't Exchange Land for Peace

Hindustan Times

time15 minutes ago

  • Hindustan Times

Ahead of Trump-Putin Meeting, Zelensky Says He Won't Exchange Land for Peace

KYIV, Ukraine—President Trump's face-to-face meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin on Friday will heap pressure on one person not at the table: Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky. Zelensky has tried to position himself as the party who was eager for a peace deal—something Trump has sought to broker since he returned to office this year. Concerns run high in Kyiv that Trump will seek to strike a deal with Putin that will be disadvantageous to Ukraine, or at least be persuaded by Putin that Zelensky is the one in the way of an end to the bloodshed. Zelensky told reporters Tuesday that he was ready to meet directly with Putin—a step the Russian leader has refused to take—and offered subtle indications that he could be willing to discuss delicate domestic issues such as territorial concessions. But he also shrugged off the suggestion that a land swap could be part of a cease-fire agreement in the near term, an idea that has recently been floated in calls between various world leaders. He said he didn't believe that Moscow was prepared to give up territory it currently controls in southern Ukraine in exchange for more territory in Ukraine's eastern Donetsk region. Instead, Zelensky said, he believed Russia was asking Ukraine to withdraw from territory it currently holds in exchange for Russia agreeing to a cease-fire. Zelensky has said for months that he would accept an unconditional interim cease-fire. 'In my view, essentially, they are offering simply not to advance any further,' Zelensky said of Russia. 'This is a very conditional exchange.' Ukrainian soldiers and army engineers inspect new fortifications in the Donetsk region of Ukraine. A Ukrainian soldier in a bunker which forms part of the new defensive fortifications built in eastern Ukraine. Zelensky's comments underscore the difficult position that the coming Trump-Putin meeting has put him in. He is wary of any cease-fire proposal that Putin might offer without Ukraine at the table. At the same time, he must be careful not to provoke Trump's anger—as he did during his disastrous trip to Washington in February—by appearing not to take peace talks seriously. On Wednesday, Zelensky arrived in Germany, where he will join German Chancellor Friedrich Merz for a video call with Trump and other European leaders. Volodymyr Fesenko, a Kyiv-based political analyst at the independent think tank Penta Center for Political Studies, said the meeting posed several potential risks for Zelensky. Putin will aim to negotiate a cease-fire with Trump with conditions that are favorable to Russia, which Trump could then pressure Ukraine to accept. But just as great a risk, he said, was that Putin would try to turn Trump—who has shown more sympathy toward his Russian counterpart than other recent presidents—against Ukraine and toward Moscow. The U.S. leader might then cut off military or economic support for Kyiv, or lift sanctions on Russia. Already, in the lead-up to the meeting, Trump halted plans to hit Russia with additional sanctions. In addition, Trump criticized Zelensky earlier this week after the Ukrainian leader initially dismissed the idea of a land swap. 'I get along with Zelensky, but I disagree with what he's done,' Trump said. 'Very, very severely disagree.' 'Putin's goal in this case is not to end the war, but to form a negative attitude toward Ukraine and Zelensky, to cause a quarrel between Trump and Zelensky,' Fesenko said. 'A real problem has already emerged—Trump's irritation with Zelensky's position.' Some Western officials see signals that Putin could be more prepared for serious peace talks than he has been in the past. In a recent discussion with U.S. special envoy Steve Witkoff, Putin didn't mention some of his previous demands, such as the demilitarization of Ukraine or Ukrainian withdrawal from four regions that Russia partly controls and now claims as its own, The Wall Street Journal reported. Instead, according to officials briefed on the discussion, Putin had said that he would be open to a cease-fire if Ukraine withdrew from only its two easternmost regions of Luhansk and Donetsk. Russia already controls all but a small sliver of the Luhansk region, and some Western officials hope that Russian-held territory in southern Ukraine could be handed back if Kyiv withdraws from the parts of the Donetsk region it still controls. Though Ukrainians have grown more willing to make concessions to end the war since the full-scale invasion began in 2022, public opinion polls show they remain opposed to giving up territory. A June survey from the Kyiv International Institute of Sociology found 52% of Ukrainians opposed to territorial concessions, with 38% willing to accept territorial losses as part of a peace deal. Though Zelensky has repeatedly dismissed the idea of territorial concessions, his comments on Tuesday indicated, at the very least, a willingness to discuss it. 'I am not ready to discuss it over the phone,' he said of 'the territorial question.' 'These are serious matters to be decided at the leaders' level.' So far, Putin has declined to meet directly with Zelensky, who he has tried to paint as an illegitimate leader who shouldn't be recognized. Zelensky has also, since early in the war, insisted that security guarantees—provided by the West—must be part of any peace agreement, since Russia has repeatedly violated earlier cease-fire pacts. Residents of Dnipro, Ukraine, fled their homes after Russian rockets hit a nearby building in June. In his comments on Tuesday, he didn't mention membership in the North Atlantic Treaty Organization—long his priority, but one which most analysts say isn't realistic in the short term. Instead, he insisted that Europe would have to play an important role in any peace negotiations. European leaders have been frozen out of the Trump-Putin meeting on Friday, and Zelensky noted that in recent months it is Europe—not the U.S.—that has taken on most of the cost of helping fund and arm Ukraine. 'The presence of Europe in one form or another is very important,' Zelensky said. 'Ultimately no one except Europe is currently providing us with security guarantees. Even financially—funding the needs of our army, which is a security guarantee.' Write to Ian Lovett at Ahead of Trump-Putin Meeting, Zelensky Says He Won't Exchange Land for Peace

Stories of India's freedom struggle through Tagore, Premchand and Manto
Stories of India's freedom struggle through Tagore, Premchand and Manto

Indian Express

time15 minutes ago

  • Indian Express

Stories of India's freedom struggle through Tagore, Premchand and Manto

— Mohammad Asim Siddiqui The glorious chapter of India's freedom struggle has inspired many novelists and short story writers to produce works of great merit in both English and other Indian languages. Important episodes of the freedom movement appear in these novels and stories. Novelists like R.K. Narayan, Mulk Raj Anand, Raja Rao and Khwaja Ahmad Abbas have also conceived characters in terms of Gandhian beliefs and ideals. Rabindranath Tagore's novel Ghare Baire (1916), translated into English as Home and the World, engages creatively with Bankim Chandra Chatterjee's Anandmath (1882). Tagore's novel is critical of the western idea of nationalism, advanced by a character called Sandip. Set against the backdrop of the Swadeshi movement in Bengal, the novel presents a nuanced view of the movement through Nikhilesh's and Sandip's different perspectives. Sandip, shown to be a hypocrite, preaches the idea of Swadeshi to his followers but possesses a shelf of Western medicines. Nikhilesh, on the other hand, has a more balanced view of the Swadeshi movement. Following the spirit of the movement, he writes with a quill and uses home-made furniture, but he also understands the need of poor hawkers and shopkeepers to sell foreign clothes and goods for their living. Premchand's many writings demonstrate his patriotism, his anti-colonial stance, his commitment to communal harmony, and his love of Gandhian philosophy. His first collection of stories in Urdu, Soz-e Watan (1908), published under the pen name 'Nawab Rai', was considered seditious by the British government and banned. His novel Karmabhumi (1932), set in the 1930s, explores the role of the Gandhian philosophy of non-violence in achieving social justice for the poor and the marginalised sections of society. Amarkant, the main character of the novel who represents Gandhi's idea of non-violence and his commitment to social justice, helps the Dalit villagers to fight for their rights and enter temples. Initially unable to understand Amarkant's ideology, his wife, Sukhada, later joins the movement. The novel also shows villagers' protests against unjust land taxes. Premchand's story 'Samar Yatra', written in the context of Gandhiji's Satyagraha and Dandi March, shows the impact of the movement on a village and the enthusiasm of ordinary villagers to welcome the Satyagrahis and their cause. The story also presents an old and ailing woman, Nohari, who welcomes the freedom fighters, overcoming her physical limitations. Premchand also wrote the play Karbala (1924) to bridge the growing differences between Hindus and Muslims. An important feature of this play is the inclusion of many Hindu characters fighting for the Prophet's grandson Hussain in the Battle of Karbala and sacrificing their lives for a righteous cause. In the play, Premchand presents a Hindu village in Saudi Arabia with a temple where Sahas Rai and his brothers perform a havan. Hussain, another character, and his companions praise the Hindu brothers, their religion, their country of origin and their ideals. Raja Rao's famous novel Kanthapura (1938) is as much known for his use of de-anglicised English as for his treatment of many Gandhian ideas in the novel. Set in a remote village in South India, the novel depicts the impact of Gandhi's non-violent struggle against British rule and his fight for social reform, including the eradication of untouchability. The figure of Gandhi in the novel possesses divine powers and is believed to alleviate the suffering of the people. Moorthy, the main character of the novel, is the Gandhi of the village and feels greatly inspired by his ideas and personality after having a vision of him: 'There is but one force in life and that is Truth, and there is but one love in life and that is the love of mankind, and there is but one God in life and that is the God of all.' Jayaramachar, a Harikatha performer in the novel, also talks about Gandhi's spiritual values, his social reforms, and his commitment to communal harmony: 'Fight, says he, but harm no soul. Love all, says he, Hindu, Mohammedan, Christian or Pariah, for all are equal before God. Don't be attached to riches, says he, for riches create passions, and passions create attachment and attachment hides the face of Truth.' Though Kanthapura is imbued with Gandhian ideology, an alternative view of Nehru's socialism can also be felt towards the end of the novel. Among the stories exploring events of the freedom movement, Saadat Hasan Manto's 'Naya Qanoon', '1919 ki ek Baat' and 'Tamasha' stand out as iconic stories. 'Naya Qanoon' indirectly refers to the Government of India Act 1935. It presents an interesting character called Mangu, a coachman who hates Englishmen and is considered very wise and knowledgeable in his circle. The story shows his high expectations of the new law and his hope for a change. However, his expectations are belied as his social and political position remains the same after the new law. 'Tamasha' and '1919 ki ek Baat' were written against the backdrop of the Jallianwala Bagh tragedy. 'Tamasha' is narrated from the point of view of a child and shows the brutal nature of a king, who symbolises British rule in the story. '1919 ke ek Baat', which was written in 1951, shows how Thaila, a person of seemingly questionable character and conduct, sacrifices his life for the country and achieves heroism in his death. Exposing the bloodthirsty nature of the British power, the story presents Gen. Dyer as the villain and Gandhi as a virtuous figure. Critic Alok Bhalla observes that for Manto, '1919 signifies the loss of the legitimacy of British rule'. Khwaja Ahmad Abbas's Inquilab (1955), promoted as the first great novel of the Indian revolution in its 1958 edition, portrays an important phase of India's fight against British colonialism. Also published in Urdu (1975), it depicts the landmark events such as the Jallianwala Bagh massacre, Bardoli Satyagraha in Gujarat, Dandi March and Civil- Disobedience movement, Gandhi-Irwin Pact, Round Table Conference. The novel also presents major leaders and freedom fighters like Bal Gangadhar Tilak, Mahatma Gandhi, Subhas Chandra Bose, Ali Brothers, Motilal and Jawaharlal Nehru and Bhagat Singh. Spanning the life of its main the protagonist Anwar from the age of eight to adulthood, the novel shows how his personality is shaped by the political events and the spirit of the freedom struggle. A major part of Attia Hosain's Sunlight on a Broken Column (1961), set in Lucknow of the 1930s, shows the interpersonal relationships of characters unfolding in an India witnessing major political transformation. Narrated by Laila, an educated girl from a taluqdar family, most of the characters in the novel also belong to an aristocratic set-up who gradually discover their political leanings. With the change in the political climate, the warm conversation of characters has been replaced by acrimonious discussions. Among Laila's group of friends, Nita is a loyalist, Nadira is closer to the Muslim League's ideology, Joan, an Anglo-Indian, has divided loyalties, and Romana, given to fashion and idle talk, is not interested in any political ideology. The novel depicts a demonstration of students chanting the slogans 'Inquilab Zindabad', 'British Raj Murdabad' and 'Azadi ki Jai'. Laila's cousin Asad, a nationalist and a believer in Gandhi's non-violence, participates in this demonstration and is injured by police's lathis. A contrast in attitudes towards the freedom struggle emerges when Laila calls the students' march a movement, while her uncle Hamid, a taluqdar of Awadh and a British loyalist, dismisses it as 'a demonstration of irresponsible hooliganism'. The last part of the novel also presents the division within families after Partition. Laila's cousin Kemal, who is committed to nationalist ideology, chooses to remain in India after Partition. His younger brother Saleem, given to propounding all kinds of grand theories, moves to Pakistan. Asad's younger brother Zahid, a Muslim League sympathiser, is killed during the Partition violence. An ironic view of the leaders of the freedom movement is presented by Shashi Tharoor in The Great Indian Novel (1989). In the novel, he transposes the story of the Mahabharata into the twentieth century and visualizes many well-known political figures as characters of the epic. In his creative retelling, Bhishma is recast as Mahatma Gandhi, Dhritarashtra as Jawaharlal Nehru, Pandu as Subhas Chandra Bose, Gandhari as Kamala Nehru, Vidura as Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel and Dronacharya as Jayaprakash Narayan. In what ways Munshi Premchand's writings demonstrate his patriotism, his anti-colonial stance, his commitment to communal harmony, and his love of Gandhian philosophy? Illustrate your answer with examples. How Raja Rao in his famous novel Kanthapura depicts the impact of Gandhi's non-violent struggle against British rule and his fight for social reform, including the eradication of untouchability. How does Saadat Hasan Manto's Naya Qanoon critique the promises and failures of colonial legal reforms? Do you think literature offers not just a kaleidoscopic portrait of India's freedom struggle, but also a critical insight into it? Support your answer with examples. (Mohammad Asim Siddiqui is a Professor in the Department of English at Aligarh Muslim University.) Share your thoughts and ideas on UPSC Special articles with Subscribe to our UPSC newsletter and stay updated with the news cues from the past week. Stay updated with the latest UPSC articles by joining our Telegram channel – IndianExpress UPSC Hub, and follow us on Instagram and X.

DOWNLOAD THE APP

Get Started Now: Download the App

Ready to dive into a world of global content with local flavor? Download Daily8 app today from your preferred app store and start exploring.
app-storeplay-store