Latest news with #Gujarati-Marwari
Hindustan Times
6 hours ago
- Politics
- Hindustan Times
BJP eyes maximum seats in BMC polls, could clash with ally Sena
MUMBAI: The BJP, which is aiming to win over 680 urban and rural local bodies in the forthcoming polls, is hellbent on conquering the BMC, the largest and richest civic body in the country. Based on its internal surveys, the party is likely to contest 150 of the 227 seats in Mumbai to ensure that it wins more than half the seats on its own. This is, however, expected to lead to a tussle with its ruling ally, the Shiv Sena, which aims to contest over 100 seats. Against the backdrop of talks between the estranged Thackeray cousins, Uddhav and Raj, and their likelihood of allying in the local body polls, the BJP checked out their potential in the BMC elections. The internal survey conducted by the party reportedly showed that the Thackeray cousins' reconciliation would cost the Eknath Shinde-led Shiv Sena dear without hampering the BJP much. This has elated the BJP and spurred it to go aggressive on its partners in the seat-sharing arrangement according to the party's senior leaders. 'Although it is a far-fetched possibility, if the Thackeray cousins come together, it will not harm our prospects,' said a Mumbai-based BJP leader. 'Our North Indian and Gujarati-Marwari voters will remain intact. In fact, the Sena (UBT) could lose North Indian votes by joining hands with Raj because of the latter's anti-North Indian image. Eknath Shinde's Shiv Sena, however, could be dented in the Marathi-dominated areas of South and South-Central Mumbai. In such a scenario, we have room to ask for more seats while negotiating with the Sena and the Ajit Pawar-led NCP.' The leader suggested that as a compromise formula, the BJP could sacrifice some of its seats in Thane, Mira-Bhayander and Kalyan-Dombivali. 'We won a whopping 82 seats in the 2017 BMC elections and were in a position to elect a BJP mayor, but gave up the claim for our ruling ally, the Shiv Sena, then headed by Uddhav Thackeray,' he said. 'This time, however, we have a clear edge and could win the BMC on our own. It could happen if we contest maximum seats. Though it is premature, our aim is to contest 150 seats.' Another party leader said that the Mahayuti would contest most of the municipal corporations as an alliance. 'However, we could go for a friendly fight in some corporations like Navi Mumbai, where the BJP and Shiv Sena have equal strength and both would benefit by occupying space in the opposition,' he said. 'In Pune, we will have an understanding with the NCP and may agree to give more seats to it.' The BJP has decided to sound the poll bugle, and has convened a party meeting at Dadar on Monday. Chief minister Devendra Fadnavis is expected to address party office-bearers from Mumbai. 'It will be the first party meeting for local body poll preparations after the Supreme Court directed the State Election Commission to hold the elections,' the leader said. The local body polls are expected to be held in October or November.
India Today
3 days ago
- Entertainment
- India Today
Gujarati tourists perform Garba on a street in Austria. Viral video sparks backlash
A group of Gujarati tourists in Austria found themselves at the receiving end of the internet after they insisted that local street performers play a Garba song so they could dance on a public street. A video of their dance performance has gone viral on social media. A video of the incident that took place in the Old Town of Innsbruck, Austria, was shared online by content creator Pearl Shah. advertisementIn the now-viral video, she narrated how her 43-member Gujarati-Marwari group approached two street performers, also known as buskers, asking them to play a Garba song on their speaker. "It's really happening, guys," she says in the video, adding, "We were in Austria, walking through the streets of Old Town Innsbruck, when we saw two people performing. You have no idea what happened next."She continues, "Since our 43-member Gujarati-Marwari group was there too, we approached them and asked if they could play a Garba song on their speaker."According to Shah, the artists initially refused, citing concerns over police interference. But the group continued to request, until the buskers eventually gave in. The group then began dancing Garba in a circle, as the music played on the performers' speaker."At first, they refused, saying that if the police showed up, they might get into trouble. But we weren't leaving without doing Garba. After several requests, they finally agreed and let us connect our song," she the caption of her video, Shah wrote, 'Have you ever thought of playing Garba in Europe? Well, I had and now I can tick it off the bucket list.' The video has clocked over two lakh views on the video here: View this post on Instagram A post shared by pearl:) (@ipearlshah)Social media users didn't hold back. A section of the internet slammed the group's behaviour, calling it "inconsiderate and disruptive".A user, who identified themselves as Gujarati, said they were 'embarrassed' by such acts abroad. 'We don't do Garba on random Indian streets, let alone overseas. There's a time and place,' the user user added, 'You hijacked their performance for your fun. Those performers were working, and you treated it like a picnic. Please stop forcing your version of culture on unsuspecting strangers.'One of the users pointed out the disrespect shown towards the buskers. 'Imagine walking into someone's office and asking them to use their computer to play music. This isn't just inconsiderate, it's entitled.'See the comments here: While celebrating culture abroad can be joyful, the internet has made it clear that respecting local artists and boundaries matters just as much.
News18
3 days ago
- Entertainment
- News18
Indian Tourists Face Flak For Pressuring Austrian Street Performers To Play Garba Music
Last Updated: The video showed tourists taking over a street in Austria to perform Garba while sidelining local performers. A group of Indian tourists has come under criticism on social media after they asked two street performers in Austria to play an Indian song on their speaker so they could perform Garba. The group of 43 people performed Garba on the streets of Austria despite the local performers being hesitant to give them the speaker and fearing police trouble. The tourists faced backlash after their video was posted to Instagram, with many asking whether it was appropriate behaviour while travelling. The incident has since stirred a bigger conversation about respecting local customs and proper travel etiquette. 'Have you ever thought of playing Garba in Europe? Well, I had and now I can tick it off the bucket list," a user on Instagram captioned the post while sharing the dance video. The woman explained their group came across two street performers in Austria and asked them to play an Indian song so the Gujarati-Marwari group could do Garba. Despite the musicians' hesitation, the group continued to push for the song. 'We didn't want to leave without doing Garba," she said with a smile. The rest of the clip shows the entire group dancing joyfully in the street, drawing attention from bystanders and passersby. While some praised the group's enthusiasm and cultural pride, others criticised the behaviour as pushy and disrespectful to the local performers. A user said, 'I am a Gujju and love Garba, but I'm sorry. I just don't get the obsession with doing it on foreign streets and being proud of something. I mean, we don't even do that in India on a random day and random street!" Another commented, 'I'm a Gujju, and you guys need to stop this nonsense of playing garba anywhere, anytime." 'This is the reason foreigners hate Indians! As a flight attendant, people often come to me & ask me only one question about Indians & that is, 'Why are you Indians so demanding', and now I know why they have mentality like this about us. I mean, come on… Why do you even have to force them to play Indian music?" an individual wrote. 'Is this something to be proud of? They were uncomfortable, but you made them do this?? No wonder why Indians are not respected abroad!" another remarked. Several people also slammed the group for ignoring the performers' hesitation and making them feel uneasy with their repeated requests. First Published: June 03, 2025, 13:11 IST
Time of India
3 days ago
- Entertainment
- Time of India
Indian tourist turn European street into Garba dance floor. Not cool, say netizens
Internet reacts Travel is meant to be an exchange of cultures, ideas, and respect. But what happens when enthusiasm crosses the fine line into entitlement? A recent viral video featuring Indian tourists turning a European street into a Garba dance floor has reignited the debate around travel etiquette and cultural sensitivity . What was meant to be a proud cultural moment for some has become a point of embarrassment for many the now widely circulated Instagram video, an Indian woman shared her excitement by asking her followers in a video if they have ever thought of playing Garba in Europe and how she can tick it off her bucket list now. The footage showed a group of 43 Gujarati-Marwari tourists in Austria approaching two local street performers and requesting they play Indian music. The musicians, visibly hesitant, reportedly warned that police action might follow. But the tourists were undeterred as they weren't ready to leave without doing after, the group broke into a full-blown Garba performance right in the middle of the street. While some onlookers appeared amused, many netizens back home cringed. The video sparked a wave of backlash online, especially from fellow netizens reacted strongly after a video of Indian tourists performing Garba on a busy Austrian street went viral. While the group appeared to enjoy themselves, many viewers criticized their behavior as disruptive and disrespectful to local culture and space. A common sentiment across responses was disappointment over the growing reputation of Indian tourists for being inconsiderate. The overwhelming reaction reflected a desire for more responsible behavior abroad, celebrating culture, yes, but in a way that respects others' space and local commenters, including some Garba lovers, called the act 'embarrassing' and distanced themselves from it. They pointed out that even in India, people don't randomly break into Garba on streets without permission, and doing so abroad seemed inappropriate and forced. Others noted that tourists travel to Europe to experience its culture, not to be surrounded by familiar music and behavior that belongs back netizens also raised concern for the street performers, or buskers, who were already performing in the area. The Garba group interrupted their act and diverted attention away from artists trying to make a living. Commenters drew analogies, saying this was akin to interrupting someone's work to indulge in personal fun.
