An Indian man living in Australia has sparked an online discussion after sharing a humorous comparison of public holidays in Australia and India. Aditya Khaneja, who says he has lived in Australia for 10 years, shared a video on Instagram discussing the different reasons people get public holidays in the two countries.
Khaneja pointed to several holidays observed in different parts of Australia. He mentioned the AFL Grand Final, Melbourne Cup Day, the Royal Queensland Show and Picnic Day in Darwin.
He appeared surprised that some holidays are linked to sporting events, horse racing, and local fairs. He compared this with India, where public holidays are often associated with religious festivals and important national occasions such as Diwali and Independence Day.
Khaneja also highlighted how some Australian holidays are handled when they fall on a weekend. He said that when a public holiday falls on a Saturday or Sunday, people can sometimes get the Friday or Monday off, depending on the relevant state or territory arrangements.
He jokingly suggested that this could be one reason Australians are often described as laid-back.
"There's one thing the rest of the world can learn from this - the fun shouldn't stop," Khaneja said at the end of the video.
His post received mixed reactions on social media. While some users agreed with his observations, others pointed out that public holiday arrangements vary across Australia.
One user said that New South Wales does not have some of the holidays mentioned in the video. Another user disagreed with his comparison and argued that India also has plenty of holidays and a relaxed lifestyle.
When a user asked how many public holidays Australia has in a year, Khaneja replied that there are "13".
The video has since drawn attention online, with users discussing the differences between holiday traditions and public holiday systems in Australia and India.
