Anand Mahindra shares video of Gujaratis doing garba on flooded street, gets slammed: 'Don't romanticise'

Anand Mahindra faced backlash for sharing a video of people doing garba on a flooded street in Gujarat.

Anand Mahindra, Chairman of the Mahindra Group, faced backlash after sharing a video on X (formerly known as Twitter), which depicted a group of people performing garba in flood-hit Gujarat. The clip showed individuals dancing in knee-deep water, a scene that Mahindra praised by highlighting the enduring relationship between Gujarat and garba.

Mahindra's caption read, “Gujarat aur Garba. Ek gazab ka rishta…Unstoppable (Gujarat and garba, an amazing relationship).” However, the timing of the post, amid severe flooding in Gujarat that has resulted in at least 47 deaths due to rainfall-related incidents, led to considerable criticism.

Gujarat aur GarbaEk gazab ka rishtaUnstoppable pic.twitter.com/woqa6rcPvx
anand mahindra (@anandmahindra) August 31, 2024

Many on social media questioned the appropriateness of celebrating such resilience in the face of a natural disaster. Users argued that the video glossed over the serious challenges posed by the floods, which have severely impacted the region's infrastructure. Over recent weeks, there have been numerous reports of damage to property, including vehicles, and incidents of electrocution due to waterlogging.

One X user criticised the post by saying, “This is how billionaires make Indians feel they are one of them: Romanticise crippled infra of the country.” Another pointed out, “This shows the country is not developing."

Others expressed concern for the safety of those depicted in the video, noting the risks of dancing in waterlogged streets, especially given the reports of electrocutions. One comment highlighted the dangers: “This is actually plain stupidity from citizens. Imagine a loose livewire getting in the water. There have been multiple deaths reported due to electrocution during the recent floods in Gujarat.”

A user wrote, "Nothing to be proud of." Another user commented, "People lost lakhs of money,
Some lose generational wealth that they've created all their lives. Just highlighting the devastating nature of floods in case you didn't know already."

Meanwhile, some users also applauded the resilience shown by the group in the video. "This is why no one can stop Gujarat. These people were not blaming anyone, they went about with their business and celebration of Janmashtami. This is why every corporate want's to relocate to Gujarat. Gujarat has as attitude for growth and they know how to be happy," one user stated.

"Enjoying the every situation is life," a user quipped.