‘Indians move abroad to…’: Harsh Goenka’s satirical post on expat life sparks debate online

Industrialist Harsh Goenka’s cheeky take on the quirks of Indian expats has triggered both laughter and criticism, with many relating to the irony.

Industrialist and chairman of RPG Group, Harsh Goenka, recently took to social media to share a humorous take on the Indian expat experience, one that many found amusingly relatable, while others disagreed with the sweeping portrayal.

Harsh Goenka’s remark on NRIs divided the internet.(AFP, File Photo)

In a post on X, Goenka wrote about the ironies of living abroad as an Indian, where cultural nostalgia clashes with expensive food and quirky lifestyle changes. “Indians move abroad to eat overpriced butter chicken from a Punjabi with a fake Italian accent,” he wrote, poking fun at the dining experiences of the diaspora. He further joked about the inflated cost of Indian kitchen staples overseas: “Buy haldi and hing that cost more than a bottle of wine.”

The post didn’t stop at food. Goenka also commented on how Indians adjust to cultural shifts overseas, writing, “Miss golgappas while chewing on sad quinoa,” and, “Celebrate Diwali like it’s the Met Gala—minus celebs, plus aunties in Swarovski sarees.” He also touched on how many immigrants tend to form tight-knit desi communities: “Make only Indian friends and discuss how ‘things are better back home.’”

Adding a final punch of satire, he summed up with, “Form a WhatsApp group called Desi Squad.” And finally, “And then save up in dollars… just to fly back and tell their parents how amazing life is over there.”

Take a look at the post:

The post struck a chord with many. While several users found it sharply accurate, commenting, “This is so accurate,” and “I feel so seen”—others pushed back, pointing out that the post painted all NRIs with the same brush.

“This is not true for all NRIs. I stay in Dubai and it still feels like India,” one user noted, suggesting that cultural continuity in certain regions makes the transition less stark. Another user questioned the broad strokes of Goenka’s satire, writing, “I’m surprised a much-traveled gentleman like you would post this. No doubt the first two may be somewhat accurate minus the Italian accent but the rest reads like total fiction.”

One user took a more serious tone, pointing out the reasons many Indians choose to move abroad: “They just want some basic facilities, sir. Clean air to breathe, clean water to drink, public parks to walk in without dodging garbage, accessible healthcare without bribery, and the dignity of decent pay with work-life balance. They’re not abandoning their Indianness; they’re just seeking a better quality of life. Provide those things here, and trust me—no one’s lining up at VFS for a visa.”

This user also offered a perspective, “Yes, they might eat overpriced butter chicken and celebrate Diwali in Swarovski sarees, but scratch the surface and you’ll see it’s just an attempt to hold on to home in a foreign land. Because no matter how many quinoa salads they eat, every desi abroad still smiles a little wider when they smell fresh jalebis or hear Lata Mangeshkar playing at a random corner shop.”