London’s ‘little India’ video shows streets filled with trash, sparks debate over civic sense: ‘Proud of doing stupid things’

The clip shows a park-like space in Southall surrounded by fencing but filled with piles of litter and garbage.

Indians littering in london civic sense debate

From empty cans and plastic bottles to food wrappers, disposable cups, and bags, the area looks more like a dump than a green space

Indians and their civic sense have often been a topic of debate online, and a new viral video has added fresh fuel to the discussion. The clip, titled “Indian area in London,” shows a park-like space in Southall surrounded by fencing but filled with piles of litter and garbage. From empty cans and plastic bottles to food wrappers, disposable cups, and bags, the area looks more like a dump than a green space.

The video was shared on Instagram by nayem_in_london, an Indian YouTuber based in the United Kingdom. In his caption, he offered context about the location, writing: “An area of Southall in London. Southall and Wembley are the two heartlands of the Indian community in London. In Southall, often called “LittIndiale ,” about half the residents identify as Indian, their culture shining through temples, saree shops, and Punjabi eateries. In Wembley, the Indian presence is even stronger — nearly 57% — making it one of Britain’s most vibrant desi neighbourhoods. Yet, beneath the colourful markets and community pride, a question remains: where is the civic sense?” reads the caption.

He went on to note that overflowing bins and litter often overshadow the charm of these cultural hubs, adding, “Litter and overflowing bins often shadow the beauty of these cultural hubs, reminding us that preserving our heritage also means keeping our surroundings clean.”

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Nayem concluded his post with an important reminder: “The success of an area depends on the collective effort of its entire population, not merely on one community. Local authorities also play an important role in keeping the city clean. Therefore, we should never link the shortcomings or problems of an area to a single group or community.”

Check out the video:

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A post shared by Nayem 🇮🇳🇬🇧 (@nayem_in_london)

The video has gone viral with close to five million views and numerous reactions in the comments. A user wrote, “Civic sense ki kami hai Indians me.” Another user shared, “There is problem in mindset. It’s not like they feel ashamed while breaching rules/norms. Ironically, they feel proud.”

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A third person commented, “There is no Civic sense in india… driving, cleaning, travelling, personal space nothing is there… people brag and proud of doing stupid things whether on roads or anywhere and evwn if u follow it they come to aggressively and fight with u…i am from mumbai and shifted to pune and i drive in lane system but people cuts u in road and abuse u of driving like this… even on highways people dont follow rules of lane system from where they need to overtake and throwing garbage here and there… these things wont do by any government we as a people have a sense of doing these things by ourselves!! Its our responsibility to keep clean and have civic sense!! Only saying bharat mata ki jai doesnt make us indian we should follow the rules and make our country proud by our choices!!”

A fourth individual wrote, “Education isn’t about degrees it’s about awareness an uneducated person can still act with sense but a person without civic understanding can destroy a nation no matter how educated they look when ignorance wears the mask of culture or religion society rots from within.”