- Thousands gathered in Bunol, Spain for the 80th La Tomatina tomato fight festival
- Indian tourists inspired by Zindagi Na Milegi Dobara added unique elements to celebrations
- A viral video showed Indians singing Bollywood songs amidst the tomato-throwing crowd
Thousands of people painted a small Spanish town red last week by hurling squashed tomatoes at each other. Celebrating the 80th anniversary of La Tomatina, an annual food fight in Bunol, crowds gathered from across the globe, but one standout presence was that of Indians. Inspired by the movie Zindagi Na Milegi Dobara, the Indian tourists gave the festival their own little twist, which has since gone viral on social media.
In the viral clip, a group of Indians can be seen revelling in the festivities by singing Jumma Chumma from the popular Amitabh Bachchan movie, Hum. Drenched in the pulp of overripe tomatoes, the crowd can be seen having the time of their life as others join their impromptu dance.
Watch the viral clip here:
Internet divided
While the video showed the group having fun, the reactions on social media were mixed. A section of users called the antics of the Indian crowd "embarrassing" while others said they were enjoying themselves and that it was nothing to be outraged about.
"Looks like more Indians than the natives themselves. Why don't people enjoy something that they went there for!" said one user while another added: "More than 50% of the crowd was Indian, they even played Bhangra songs throughout! The people celebrated us while our own people keep judging."
A third commented: "Do you ever see foreigners in India during Diwali or Durga Puja and any regional festivals blasting or singing or imposing English or other languages songs? No."
A fourth said: "I can't believe that in the comment section people are barking civics sense. They are enjoying themselves at their highest. Songs are part of enjoyment. That's absolutely cool."
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The 2011 movie starring Hrithik Roshan, Abhay Deol and Farhan Akhtar popularised La Tomatina, which started in the small agricultural town of Bunol "by accident", as per the festival's website. In August 1945, as the story goes, there was a parade taking place in the town square that was disrupted by some young people.
One of the boys grabbed a tomato and started the fight, which evolved into a festival. The tradition was briefly banned by dictator Francisco Franco in the 1950s, which led to protests. Eventually, the festival was reinstated in 1957and since then, it has been an annual fixture with its popularity soaring every year.
