‘So cringe': Indians in Toronto criticised for loud street celebration, video goes viral

Indian Express

4 hours ago

Indians often move abroad in search of better education, career prospects, healthcare, and quality of life. While they adapt to new surroundings, many also recreate familiar cultural moments from back home. However, a recent attempt at such a cultural recreation in Toronto has sparked criticism online, for all the wrong reasons.
A video that's now going viral shows a group of Indian men playing loud music and dancing on the streets of Toronto, causing what many called a public disturbance. The clip was shared on X by Indian National Congress spokesperson Lavanya Ballal Jain (@LavanyaBallal), who commented, 'We Indians love our country so much that we run away from here at the first opportunity. And we take no time in converting foreign countries into our noisy street corners. This is Toronto.'
The post has garnered over 478.2K views and 3K likes.
We indians love our country so much that we run away from here at the first opportunity.
And we take no time in converting foreign countries into our noisy street corners.
This is Toronto. https://t.co/6ERgxCXJzZ pic.twitter.com/09xs1IPJxs
— Lavanya Ballal Jain official (@LavanyaBallal) June 16, 2025
The comment section reflected a divided public opinion. One user from Australia said, 'I live in Australia. I love Australia for its culture and infrastructure. I don't like when people from other countries behave in a way that might be okay in that country but it is ruining the culture of the country they are living in. Sad to see this kind of behaviour.'
Another user linked the incident to global perceptions of India, commenting, 'No wonder why Indian passport ranking dropped to 85 from 50s.'
A third user commented, 'A majority of Indians lack civic sense, whether they live in India or travel abroad or stay abroad. Civic sense needs to be inculcated right from childhood by the family & strict rules to be implemented by civic authorities. Unfortunately none of this happens & most grow up uncouth.'
However, not everyone agreed with the criticism. A fourth user came to the defense of the group and said, 'It's pretty common of young age people dancing and enjoying and they are not disturbing anyone, I have even seen locals dancing on weekends. But blaming only Indians shows inferiority complex.'
This isn't the first time such cultural expressions by Indians abroad have stirred debate. In another recent incident, a group of Indian tourists sang the iconic Hindi song Aaja Sanam Madhur Chandni Mein at the Eiffel Tower in Paris. Though the impromptu Bollywood-style jam session delighted some, others called it inappropriate.
Similarly, in Austria's old town of Innsbruck, a group of 43 Gujarati and Marwadi tourists were criticised for insisting on playing their own music and performing Garba despite local street performers initially refusing. The artists warned that such actions might attract trouble from the police, but eventually gave in. What followed was a five-minute Garba celebration that, while joyful, raised eyebrows over cultural sensitivity and respect for local rules.