In the heart of Delhi’s Pitam Pura, where street food meets skyscraper dreams, a restaurant decided that being Indian wasn’t enough. A viral video claims that a couple dressed in decent clothes – he in a T-shirt, she in a salwar-kameez – were denied entry into the newly opened Tubata Bar & Restaurant. The reason for the denial of service? Her ethnic clothes did not fit the “Western dress code” of Tubata! It’s 2025, but the ghost of Macaulay and the Brits still lingers. Is this about dress codes or a deeper distaste for our own culture?
Delhi’s Dress Codes Dilemma or Something Else?
Sure, businesses have a right to impose dress codes. But denying a woman entry because her outfit screams ‘Indian’ rather than ‘Italian’ is not about standards—it’s about snobbery. There was no exposed midriff. No indecency. Just a clean, modest ethnic outfit that wouldn’t get a second glance at a temple or even a formal event.
Yet somehow, it wasn’t “smart casual” enough? The same restaurant lets in patrons wearing shorts and spaghetti tops. However, a woman in a salwar-kameez wasn’t “modern” enough. Hence, let’s call this what it is—cultural profiling.
For the Culturally Colonised, Western wear is synonymous with Sophistication, and Ethnic clothing is a fashion crime.
Indian heritage, sanskriti, itihas, and political identity are not something to be ashamed of! Be it ethnic dresses, ritual puja, or festival food – Indians celebrate their unique identity with pride. The hypocrisy becomes even more glaring when one sees how “ethnic chic” becomes a runway trend globally. While Prada was shamed into sharing credit with Kolharipuri Chappals, the Saree goes global on the red carpet. However, for the mental slaves of colonial supremacy in Delhi, wearing Indian is a ticket to rejection.
Macaulay’s Children Still Run the Club
This isn’t the first time Indian attire has been turned away at the doors of India’s “elite” establishments. Macauley’s education system turned Indians into brown clerks. Thus, for those living in a colonial hangover – wearing Indian or ethnic is a thing to be looked down upon. Delhi, the heart of India, frequently weathers storms of Macauley-taught brainwashed businessmen!
- Back in 2021, Aquila, a swanky South Delhi restaurant, refused entry to a woman wearing a saree. The staff infamously declared that “saree is not smart casual.” The uproar was instant. The NCW intervened, and the restaurant eventually faced administrative action.
- Similarly, in 2020, Kylin & Ivy in Vasant Kunj refused entry to another woman in ethnic wear. However, an online firestorm forced an apology from them.
Every couple of years, an upscale venue reminds us that the real divide in India isn’t between BJP vs Congress supporters, or North vs. South.
In reality, Bharat’s true dicide is between Indians vs. Indians who are trying too hard to be Western.
Where does this mindset come from? Straight from the colonial inferiority complex fed by Macaulay’s education model. The belief that anything local is inferior and anything foreign is aspirational. Lord Macaulay wanted a class of Indians who were Indian in blood, but British in tastes. Unfortunately, his mission stands accomplished.
Cultural Dissonance: Sarees Out, Sequins In
Take a stroll through any Indian club on a Saturday night, and you’ll notice something jarring – you’re more likely to see a Zara-clad Indian woman. The Western obsession isn’t fashion-forward; it’s psychologically backward.
Ironically, the same ethnic wear that’s barred at an Indian eatery is embraced at weddings, government functions, and national festivals. On Republic Day, we proudly drape our culture. On Diwali or Holi, we flaunt our roots. But come Friday night, we treat it like a liability.
What are we teaching the next generation? That being proudly Indian is a thing only meant for Festivals or National Holidays?
Indian society is caught between two wardrobes – one that celebrates our roots, and one that hides them in shame. If you’re wearing a lehenga in Goa, it’s “boho chic.” But if you wear an ethnic salwar-kameez in Delhi to a restaurant, it’s “backward.”
Tubata’s Fashion Policing: A Colonial Hangover in Lipstick
The incident at Tubata is more than just a viral moment. It’s a symbol of a deeper rot. It shows a desire to belong to a class that never wanted us in the first place. Tubata’s owner, Mr. Agarwal, who is associated with RCube Projects Pvt Ltd., should know that racist segregation based on clothes is illegal in India. Thus, netizens rightly ask if the Hon’ble President or a Delhi CM walked in wearing a saree, would they be turned away too? A great question that shall make the owner and staff squirm in their seats!
The grotesque reality is that rights to admission are reserved by the management – however – these policies are often set by desi managers and owners who still believe that class comes from imitating the West!
Tubata’s business in India, thus, almost all their clientele is Indian. But their idea of sophistication is imported, their rejection of Indian culture is internalized, and their definition of decency is borrowed from Instagram reels of NYC bistros.
Meanwhile, the public backlash is mounting. Social media platforms are flooded with calls to boycott Tubata. Influencers, politicians, and everyday Indians are speaking up. Even Delhi Minister Kapil Mishra called the act “unacceptable” and confirmed CM Rekha Gupta has ordered a full investigation.
Public pressure made the management apologize and change their rules within 24 hours of the viral video. However, the damage is done. An Indian woman was publicly disgraced for wearing ethnic clothes at the doors of Tubata. The only thing her shameful experience expose was the restaurant’s true attitude towards Indian culture.
If Indian Ethnic Dresses Aren’t Welcome in Delhi, Where Are They?
What does it say about a society that bans its clothes within its own land? That considers tradition an eyesore and mimicry a virtue? India is not just the land of Vishnu and Shakti. It’s the land of kalamkari and chikankari.
In India, clothes aren’t just fashion—they’re fabricated history.
Denying them is denying ourselves.
Hence, Tubata isn’t the only culprit. It’s just the latest in a line of tone-deaf venues with colonial hangovers and confused identities. But the protest outside its gates – filmed, posted, and now viral – is a sign. India is waking up. Hopefully, there will come a day when not just temples but Indian restaurants shall celebrate Indian ethnic wear!
