'99% of Gujaratis are wonderful but...': Harsh Goenka reacts to viral grocery store rush for drumsticks, calls for better civic sense

Industrialist Harsh Goenka has weighed in on a viral video showing chaotic scenes at an Indian grocery store, saying that the actions of a small section of people end up damaging the image of both the Gujarati community and India.

The video, which has been widely shared on social media, allegedly shows large crowds of shoppers at the opening of an Indian grocery store in New Jersey scrambling to buy drumsticks. The authenticity of the video and the circumstances surrounding it have not been independently verified.

Sharing the clip on X, The Tatva claimed, "Scenes from the opening of Indian grocery store in New Jersey, where huge crowds of mostly Gujaratis gather to shop."



Responding to the post, Goenka wrote, "99% of the Gujaratis I know are warm, gracious, law-abiding and wonderful ambassadors for India. But that 1% who push, shout, litter, jump queues, do garba in restaurants and airports or ignore local norms while travelling end up tarnishing the image of an entire community and of India. Some civic sense needs to be instilled in them."

His remarks quickly triggered a debate online, with users divided over whether it was appropriate to single out a community.

One user commented, "Criticize the act, not the identity. Civic sense has no caste, state or language. By that logic, every stampede or unruly crowd would define an entire state. Thankfully, we know that's not how societies work."

Another wrote, "Civic sense and Moral Science needs to be made compulsory in school curriculum from pre-school to Class 3 in all schools. Teacher training for the above should also be compulsory if India needs to improve its reputation worldwide."



This is not the first time Goenka has spoken about the behaviour of Indians while travelling abroad.

Earlier, he had commented on viral videos showing groups performing garba in public places overseas. One clip showed people dancing on the tarmac at an airport in Vietnam, while another captured a garba performance inside a restaurant. Those videos also sparked widespread debate, with some arguing such acts project a poor image of India abroad, while others defended them as harmless celebrations of culture.