Viral video | Passenger serves tea in desi style aboard Indigo flight, netizens predict ’chaat, mung phali wala’ soon

A video captured on IndiGo aircraft is going viral that shows a passenger serving tea to fellow flyers aboard. The video clip posted on Instagram by the account "Indian chai wala” has amassed over 2300 likes and numerous comments.

The man serving tea is identified as Ramesh who is a social media sensation, well known for serving tea at various locations, including shops, streets and now plane. The influencer has more than 44.2 thousand followers. He is well known as "Chai Chaaiyaa" at Hyderabad’s Begumbazar, according to his Instagram bio

Ramesh took his unique act of serving tea to the next level with the viral video that shows him serving the beverage on the aircraft of budget carrier. In the video clip, Ramesh can be seen walking down the aircraft aisle, distributing tea in disposable cups aboard the plane while a crew member responds to passenger's request.

The footage reminiscent of traditional Indian train vendors attracted social media attention due to its peculiar setting. The incident sparked mixed reactions online, while some found humour in the situation, others questioned the airline's safety protocols.

Criticising the airlines for permitting this unconventional act, a content creator, @shashank_udupa, said, “How did Indigo allow this? A man randomly started serving chai to other passengers on an Indigo flight! And the flight crew was nowhere to stop this. People on the internet are heavily criticising the airline."

He added, "Things got even crazier when it was revealed that the man was known as the “Indian Chai Wala and had over forty thousand Instagram followers. People are calling it a direct violation of in-flight safety rules and asking the DGCA to step in and fine Indigo for allowing this. If fines are imposed, it could not only impact Indigo financially but also its reputation.”

A user quipped, “Soon there will be mung phali wala chaat masala,” drawing parallels to typical train vendors. Expressing concern over in-flight security, a user remarked, “This is why foreigners are speaking bad about India… please behave,” A third user questioned the crew's surveillance, “Cabin crew, security wale konsa nasha karke baithe hai (What are the cabin crew and security staff even doing)?”