A simple conversation over roadside parking turned into a heartwarming moment after an Indian man thanked an Ethiopian visitor for pointing out that his car was blocking the way. The exchange, shared on Instagram, has drawn praise for highlighting the importance of civic sense in everyday life.
(Also read: Delhi woman says ‘most Indians become disciplined abroad’, explains civic sense problem at home)
Man admits his car was blocking the road
The video was shared on Instagram by a man identified as Mausam, who explained that he had parked his car while stopping at a nearby store.
Talking to the camera, Mausam said, "my car is parked almost in the middle of the road, right? So I came to get some stuff from this store. And this man sitting right there. He told me that my car was parked right in the middle. So I said, 'There is no space, what should I do now?' He said, 'Park it here.' So I said, 'The person in front of whose shop I park will complain, right?' The man said, 'No problem, you park there, but the way shouldn't be blocked, right?' I thought, 'He's right, he's not saying anything wrong.' Let me introduce you to him."
Mausam then walked towards the man and asked, "Hi, where were you from...? Are you from Kerala?"
The man replied, "Ethiopia."
{{/usCountry}}Mausam then walked towards the man and asked, "Hi, where were you from...? Are you from Kerala?"
The man replied, "Ethiopia."
{{/usCountry}}Surprised by the response, Mausam said, "Huh? Ethiopia! Very nice to meet you. I felt really good... I'm feeling good that you suggested me to remove your car from there."
The Ethiopian man responded, "It was off view. I think it's crowded this side."
‘This civic sense must come to India’
Mausam then thanked him for the suggestion and reflected on the larger issue of road discipline.
"I think this civic sense must come to India, because there is a loophole in traffic jams, right? Sorry, my English is not good, but still I'm speaking. Haha! Thank you so much for your nice gesture," he said.
Turning back to the camera, Mausam added, "In India, parking a car in the middle of the road is considered being like royalty/bossy..."
The clip was shared with the caption, "He came here for book his flight ticket".
Watch the clip here:
Social media users react
The video prompted several reactions from users who appreciated both the message and the cordial interaction.
"Basic civic sense goes a long way," one person wrote. Another commented, "Traffic in India would improve 10x if everyone showed this kind of awareness."
A third user said, "Love how polite and humble both of them were," while another described the exchange as a "Wholesome moment".
HT.com has reached out to the user for his comments, and the copy will be updated once his response is received.
(Disclaimer: This report is based on user-generated content from social media. HT.com has not independently verified the claims and does not endorse them.)