Podcaster Ravi Handa has sparked a heated discussion after revealing why he chose to celebrate the New Year in Vietnam instead of Goa. In a candid post on X, Handa criticized the behavior of some North Indian tourists, calling their actions disruptive and inconsiderate both in Goa and abroad.
Personal Experiences Highlighted
Handa shared several personal experiences to illustrate his frustration. One such incident occurred on a train in Vietnam, where a group of Indian passengers loudly chanted “Bharat Mata ki Jai” upon spotting fellow Indian travelers. He also described incidents of queue-cutting and rude behavior. In one case, a person who cut in line at a cable car station responded, “Hum logon ke pass special pass hai” (“We have a special pass”). Handa chose not to escalate the situation to avoid conflict.
Handa’s Post on X
In his post on X, Handa wrote, “I went to Vietnam for the new year break, and Goa was a choice. But not for the reasons any of you people on Twitter go bonkers about. Goa has too many North Indian tourists and they ruin the experience. Even in Vietnam, the only bad behaviour was from North Indian tourists.”
He added, “A group literally started shouting Bharat Mata ki Jai in a train coach because they saw there were many Indians around. Another couple cut the line with the woman saying – ‘Aage chalo. Yahan koi nahi rokega.’ Saw people jumping queues multiple times. 100% of the times it was Indians. I even stopped one at the cable car line and he replied – ‘Hum logon ke pass special pass hai.’ Did not want to argue and gave up.”
I went to Vietnam for the new year break, and Goa was a choice. But not for the reasons any of you people on twitter go bonkers about.
Goa has too many North Indian tourists and they ruin the experience.
Even in Vietnam, the only bad behavior was from North Indian tourists.… https://t.co/CHiZeVRgoT
— Ravi Handa (@ravihanda) January 5, 2025
Viral Response and Debate
Handa’s comments were sparked by a tweet from Deepak Shenoy, founder of CapitalMind, explaining his decision to spend the New Year in Thailand instead of Goa. Handa’s post quickly went viral, sparking a lively debate about the behavior of Indian tourists abroad. While some people agreed with Handa’s observations, others accused him of unfairly targeting North Indians.
Diverse Reactions From the Public
Several people shared their own experiences in response to Handa’s post. One user wrote, “Stereotyping North Indians surely will get you two cents, Ravi, from like-minded people. But this mentality has only not allowed us to progress as a society, because everyone is busy in North vs South vs East vs West debate.”
Another commenter shared a similar experience: “There was a group of North Indians on a train in Europe, making too much noise in the name of ‘having a good time.’ All the other Europeans were silent, and only these people were shouting.”
A third user added, “Absolutely spot on here Handa ji! Recent trip to NY JFK same experience even in the internal train system which transfers you from one terminal to another and there is absolutely no rush our brethren keep pushing and heckling other people, they jump queues and speak in loud voices and don’t even notice people looking at them with disgust and disdain! I don’t know when this will change!”
The Ongoing Discussion
The debate over Handa’s comments continues, with many weighing in on the behavior of Indian tourists and the importance of cultural sensitivity when traveling abroad.
