A video of a group of tourists, reportedly from Gujarat, performing Garba, a folk dance associated with the Navaratri festival, has triggered a heated debate online. The video, which has gone viral on social media, has left people divided over questions of civic sense and cultural expression.

In the video, posted by a Kochi Water Metro rider on Instagram, a group of five, comprising men and women of different ages, is seen performing the dance. “Spotted this beautiful moment on my way to Fort Kochi today,” the user wrote. The caption also asked, “What do we think — is this a harmless vibe or a public transit violation?”, triggering a debate online.

While some people appreciated the tourists and described the dance as an act of “enjoying every moment,” the video also drew a flood of criticism from netizens who considered it “not a good example.” Industrialist Harsh Goenka was among the critics. Reposting the video on X, he wrote: “Now Garba in Kochi Water Metro! This is seriously getting out of hand now.”

Videos of tourists performing the dance form on the Great Wall of China and on the streets of Hanoi, Vietnam, had gone viral earlier.

Responding to the social media debate, the Kochi Metro authorities said they had taken note of the incident and decided not to take any action, as it did not raise any safety concerns. “Passengers have every right to perform a cultural activity on board the vessel as long as it does not cause inconvenience, annoyance, or safety concerns to others. The captain of the vessel has reported that the said incident did not cause any inconvenience or safety concerns,” a senior Metro official said.