"Us Indians will never beat civic sense allegations."
An Indian family sparked a debate on civic sense after they brought their own food on board a domestic IndiGo flight.
The video, posted by passenger Yeshvi, shows several family members bringing out disposable plates and arranging a spread of homemade food during the journey.
The meal included samosas, dhoklas, theplas, namkeen and various condiments, with one woman seen distributing plates and serving food to the group.
As the family ate, some of the girls appeared to have another activity planned, putting on press-on nails while the meal continued.
At one point, several members of the group could also be seen walking through the cabin while carrying their food.
The family appeared to make an effort to clean up after themselves.
Towards the end of the video, the woman who had been serving the food collected used plates and other waste before placing it into a large rubbish bag.
However, the video quickly attracted criticism, with some questioning whether it was appropriate.
One wrote: “Carrying home food on a flight is not the problem.
“But turning the airplane into a wedding buffet with 40 people eating and distributing food, and then proudly saying, ‘We cleaned everything’, is honestly not something to boast about.
“A plane is a shared public space, not a dining hall.
“Cleaning afterwards doesn’t replace basic civic sense and respect for the place. What’s more surprising is that people are celebrating such videos instead of calling them out.
“We are not being ‘Desi’ or fun – we are mocking ourselves by showing a complete lack of public etiquette.”
Wondering why the family filmed their in-flight meal, another commented:
“So proud to film and thinks it is an achievement. Us Indians will never beat civic sense allegations. @indigo.6e allowed this? What even is this?”
A third added: “Eating at your seat is fine, but turning the aisle into an open buffet, passing plates to 15 people, is a safety hazard and poor civic sense.
“Consideration for co-passengers isn’t ‘Western’; it’s just basic common courtesy.”
One critic posted: “I would understand packing a simple sandwich for each person with a packet of chips, but this is an entire buffet!”
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Amid the backlash, Yeshvi defended the family and stated other passengers and the airline staff had no issue.
Posting another video, she wrote: “Girl, where is the ruckus, where is the mess?
“We’re all quietly seated enjoying our lunch (after missing breakfast), wrapped it all up in 20 mins then my mom walked around with a bag to collect everyone’s [email protected] staff was not bothered once, and we made sure to keep the aisles clear.”
The video has since continued to fuel discussion about the boundaries of bringing homemade food onto flights, particularly when passengers are travelling as a large group.
While some viewers have focused on the quantity of food and the way it was distributed, Yeshvi’s response highlights the family’s view that they remained considerate of other passengers and cleaned up after the meal.
