Following a landmark campaign at the 2026 Commonwealth Games in Glasgow, where the Indian boxing contingent secured 10 medals, including seven golds – the team gathered for a celebratory dinner hosted by ‘Mister Singh’s India – The Home of Curry’. Owned by Sardar Jit Singh (known locally as “Papa Singh”), the Glasgow dining spot frequently hosts visiting sports teams and international dignitaries.
However, the celebration turned into an uncomfortable confrontation when silver medalist Lovlina Borgohain noticed a glaring territorial distortion on the napkins provided to the athletes. The map printed on the tableware completely sliced off the Northeast region, the very region Lovlina hails from, along with illegally occupied parts of Jammu and Kashmir.
Not an Accidental Misprint: A Registered Brand Logo
As video footage of the incident went viral across social media, initial public reaction assumed the distorted napkin print was a cheap manufacturing glitch. However, a review of the restaurant’s official website, social media handles, and physical storefront signage revealed a far more disturbing reality: the mutilated map was not a misprint, but the restaurant’s permanent, official logo.
Standing up at the venue, Lovlina politely but firmly challenged the management regarding the erasure of her home region:
“Please don’t take this the wrong way. I felt a little hurt by this. In the map of India, our North East is missing. Yes, even outside, the map that’s displayed has cut off the North East. As someone from the North East, that really hurts us. That’s all I wanted to say. Please keep this in mind next time.”
— Lovlina Borgohain, Commonwealth Games Silver Medalist
Boxing Federation of India (BFI) President Ajay Singh, who was present at the dinner, reinforced her objection by pointing out that Jammu and Kashmir was also falsely depicted, urging the establishment to immediately withdraw the items and correct their official representation.
The ‘British Map’ Defense and the Digital Fallout
When confronted by the athletes, the management attempted to deflect accountability by claiming that the logo was based on an old “British map.”
A country’s map is a fundamental part of its national sovereignty. When foreign businesses run Indian-themed establishments while casually erasing strategic regions like Jammu & Kashmir and the Northeast from their branding, it normalizes anti-India narratives under the guise of commercial aesthetics.
It took an athlete from Assam to stand up on foreign soil and remind a diaspora establishment that hospitality cannot come at the expense of national dignity.