Harsh Goenka, who runs RPG enterprises which own tyre maker CEAT and power transmission firm KEC International, isn’t exactly impressed with Indians living abroad who return home only to talk about how “amazing” their life is, all while paying sky-high prices for everyday items.

Goenka, in his post titled “Indians move abroad to”, listed many ironies that come with living outside India.

“Eat overpriced butter chicken from a Punjabi with a fake Italian accent,” the 67-year-old quipped, adding that NRIs pay more for essentials like haldi and hing, staples of the Indian kitchen, than they would for a bottle of wine.

He went on to say that these people who claim to have an “amazing” life abroad find it difficult to make cultural adjustments as they “miss golgappas while chewing on sad quinoa”. 

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The billionaire with a net worth of $3.5 billion thinks that Indian expats celebrate festivals like Diwali like a Met Gala event that doesn’t have “celebrities and aunties in Swarovski sarees”. 

He also points out how Indians mostly make Indian friends with the centre point of their discussions to be “how things are better back home”, adding that these people also make a WhatsApp group “Desi Squad”. 

“And then save up in dollars… just to fly back and tell their parents how amazing life is over there,” he concluded his social media post. 

The post, shared on April 17, has been viewed by thousands of people, some of whom flocked to the comments section to share their thoughts. While some agree with him, expressing “This is so accurate” and “I feel so seen”, others said that someone like him, who was “born with a silver spoon”, should not share such posts. 

“While in London, we used to be called the Indian Mafia. Friends smoked Gold Flake or classic mild and not Marlboro or Benson & Hedges, we listened to Kishore Kumar songs and Pankaj Udhas’s chitti aayi hain, they had chicken tikka masala, which never originated from India. Every now and then, we said Mera Bharat Mahaan, but no one wanted to go back,” wrote one Twitter (now X) user. 

Another joined, “I am surprised a much-travelled gentleman like you is posting this. No doubt the first two may be right minus the Italian accent, but the rest all is a total fiction.”

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“Not true. Not everyone is born with a golden spoon and established businesses. People who are deprived of meritocracy in India get recognised in other countries for what they are truly worth. No termite likes corruption ‘abroad’. Better standards of living, running water. Good roads,” a third said. 

A fourth joked, “You forgot that bit about tissue paper and wiping instead of jet washing.”

“You’re wrong. Indians move abroad for a better quality of life. Indians move abroad to save themselves from the terrible air quality in Indian cities. Indians move abroad to give their children a better future,” commented a fifth.