An Indian man living in Australia has sparked a discussion online after sharing his take on the difference between public holidays in Australia and India. In an Instagram video, Aditya Khaneja, who said he has been living in Australia for 10 years, humorously compared the reasons behind public holidays in the two countries.
“I want to talk about public holidays. I’ve been in Australia for 10 years, and I’ve realised that people here don’t seem to like anything more than having fun,” Khaneja said in the video.
He went on to mention several holidays observed in different parts of Australia. Referring to the AFL Grand Final, he joked that people get a Friday off to have fun. He also mentioned the Melbourne Cup Day holiday, questioning why people get a day off because of a horse race.
Khaneja then referred to the Royal Queensland Show holiday in Queensland, describing it as a day off to go to a fair, while also mentioning Picnic Day in Darwin.
Comparing this with India, he said Indians get public holidays for religious and significant occasions. “India mein kitni religious aur kitni, matlab, auspicious cheezon ki chhutti milti hai na,” he said, before citing Independence Day and Diwali as examples.
{{/usCountry}}Comparing this with India, he said Indians get public holidays for religious and significant occasions. “India mein kitni religious aur kitni, matlab, auspicious cheezon ki chhutti milti hai na,” he said, before citing Independence Day and Diwali as examples.
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In the clip, Khaneja also joked about the difference in how holidays falling on weekends are handled. “If Diwali falls on a Saturday in India, it feels like the end of the world. Here, if a holiday falls on a Saturday, the government says, ‘Don’t worry, take Friday as a public holiday.’ And if it falls on Sunday, they say, ‘Take Monday instead.’ It’s great,” he said.
“Tumhe kabhi kisi ne bola hoga na ki Australians laid-back hain aur tumhe reason na pata ho, ye reason hai,” Khaneja added.
He concluded the video by saying, “There’s one thing the rest of the world can learn from this - the fun shouldn’t stop.”
Sharing the video on Instagram, Khaneja wrote in the caption, “Public holidays in Australia vs India. As if there were not enough reasons to love this country.”
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Social media reactions
The post prompted several users to weigh in. “So true,” one user commented.
“Unfortunately, NSW doesn’t have these kinds of public holidays,” another wrote.
A third user disagreed with Khaneja’s comparison, writing, “Hey man, stop spreading false information. India has more holiday and chill life compare to Australia.”
One user asked Khaneja, “Overall how many PH in a year??” To this, he replied, “Not many. 13.”