Archive · 31 Aug 2026
NRI Woman’s Cafe-Culture Critique Sparks Debate Over India’s Social Spaces
Smidha visited India and noticed that meeting friends often meant buying something.
Plans usually involved cafes, restaurants, malls or travel costs.
She said this made ordinary socialising feel expensive.
In Australia, she could meet friends in parks, by the coast or in libraries for free.
She wondered whether people in India had become too used to shopping and cafes.
Her video became popular online.
Many people agreed that Indian cities do not have enough free community spaces.
Some also said hot weather and weak public infrastructure leave people with few alternatives.
Smidha, an Indian expat visiting from Australia, said meeting friends in India often led to spending money at cafes, restaurants or malls.
She contrasted India’s urban socialising culture with Australia, where parks, beaches and public libraries can be used without spending money.
Her viral Instagram Reel questioned whether consumerism has replaced free, informal ways of spending time together.
Social media users said Indian cities lack community spaces and often make eating or drinking the main form of socialising.
Others attributed the dependence on indoor commercial venues to hot weather, limited nature and inadequate public infrastructure.
- Who
- Smidha, an Indian expat from Australia, and social media users who responded to her video.
- What
- A viral discussion about the cost of meeting friends and the lack of free social spaces in Indian cities.
- When
- During Smidha’s visit to India; the article does not provide a specific date.
- Where
- Mumbai and other urban Indian settings, contrasted with Australia.
- Why
- Smidha said social plans often require spending at cafes, restaurants or malls, while commenters blamed limited public infrastructure, nature and community spaces.
Consumerism Critique
Infrastructure Explanation
Why socialising costs money
Consumerism Critique
Smidha’s view is that people have become accustomed to cafes and malls, making a purchase seem necessary before friends can simply spend time together.
Infrastructure Explanation
Commenters said hot weather, limited nature and inadequate public infrastructure force people toward indoor commercial venues, where spending is unavoidable.
What Indian cities provide
Consumerism Critique
Critics said cities have become places where people must be customers before they can be ordinary residents, with malls and shops dominating social life.
Infrastructure Explanation
Other responses focused on the lack of community spaces and quality-of-life infrastructure, rather than treating paid socialising only as a matter of personal choice.
- Person featured
- Smidha, described as a desi expat from Australia.
- City mentioned
- Mumbai.
- Common expenses
- Cabs, drinks, cover charges, dining out and incidental spending.
- Free alternatives cited
- Coastal walks, parks and public libraries in Australia.
- Viral phrase
- “Saans lene ke bhi paise lagte hai” — even breathing costs money.
- Central question
- Whether consumerism or a shortage of public spaces drives paid socialising in India.