Ghazal Alagh Gets Geography Lesson After Comparing Mumbai-Nashik Aerial View With Maldives

Ghazal Alagh, the co-founder of beauty brand Mamaearth, jumped on the India vs Maldives bandwagon. Earlier this week, she shared a video that captured the aerial view of Maharashtra while she was on a helicopter ride from Mumbai to Nashik. She compared the view with the island nation of Maldives. While making this comparison, the entrepreneur wrote, “If I told you I was in the Maldives right now, you’d believe me, right? But, I’m actually in a chopper from Mumbai to Nashik. India really is no less than the foreign countries that we aspire to go to. We just need to explore it more.”

Even as her post gathered hundreds of likes, many people were quick to mention that comparing Maldives with the helicopter view of India is not a fair comparison.

Replying to her post, an X user wrote, “No I’d not believe you were in Maldives when I can clearly see the red, volcanic soil of Maharashtra, home to all my known forefathers.”

Another person sarcastically commented, “Hence it’s important NOT to miss one’s geography lessons in school. If one would have been more attentive, then one would have known how an island looks like and never would have compared an island with Nashik.”

An X user observed, “I don’t see any noticeable view – good or bad. It is just an aerial view. Where is the question of foreign countries? And of all, the Maldives??? Could not catch the point you are making, except that you are in a helicopter ride.”

People also pointed out that India does not necessarily lack in natural beauty, but it lacks in civic sense and infrastructure which is not an issue in tourism-driven countries like Maldives.

Making this point, an X user wrote, “India is beautiful. Magnificent. Even better at times to many foreign countries, but if you want the comforts and luxuries of the foreign world, along with cleanliness, last mile tourism infrastructure, all this without breaking the bank, India has a long long way to go.” Another person wrote, “From the top every landscape looks beautiful. The closer we get the reality hits. As long as we fly a chopper, it should not be an issue.”

As per the Ministry of External Affairs, Indians are the second largest expatriate group in the Maldives, with a population of about 22,000. As of 2023, Indians accounted for 11.2 percent of the total tourist arrivals in the Maldives.