There's no doubt that 'Pani Puri' is one of the most popular and lovable street snacks in India. Consisting of small, crispy, hollow balls made of semolina or wheat flour and served with tangy, spicy water (pani), the street food snack never fails to tantalize the taste buds of people. However, another significant factor making the food dish so popular among the masses is its affordable price.
The snack, which can be found in various parts of India, known by different names in different states, has recently caught the attention of internet users. The reason for the same was the 'over-pricing' under which the food item was being sold off at a Mumbai airport. Significantly, the information was revealed through a social media post by the Co-founder & COO of Sugar Cosmetics, Kaushik Mukherjee.
Sharing a photo of pani puri being sold at Mumbai's Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj International Airport, Kaushik said, "Real estate is expensive for food stalls at the CSIA Mumbai airport- but I didn't know THIS expensive." The post further also reveals the whopping price of the pani-puri, which is being sold for Rs 333. Significantly, not just pani puri, other chaat items like dahi puri and sev puri are also being sold at this jaw-dropping price.
Meanwhile, the post has drawn a series of comments while some favoring the pricing being kept and others making shocking yet funny statements regarding the pricing. A user responding to the post jokingly said, “The value of that last Sukhi Puri at the end just went up.”
“They will now start charging for looking at the displayed food.” Another user commented, “Work of art, priceless! Should be in a museum," another user joked.
Meanwhile, a few users who found the pricing to be fair said, “Elco has pani puri for ~160 in their retail outlets in Bandra. So this does make sense if your company is paying the bill. How will you defend a pani puri plate in front of your finance team is wild.”
Another user said, “Considering branded restaurant offering the same golgappas at the rate of 100-120, not the bad pricing at airport.”
It is pertinent to note that a discussion on the exorbitant prices for food and beverages at airports has been on the table for quite some time now. Recently, a man took to X to share about paying ₹500 at an airport for food. In his post, he added that "I’ve never understood why we get fleeced at the airports. I got his simple dish of Rajma Chawal with a coke for 500/- bucks. Isn’t that daylight robbery? Just because someone’s traveling by air doesn’t mean they have to be looted!"
The post has also sparked a series of arguments on Twitter, while some people sided with Arora, others argued that shops have to charge higher for regular items to sustain their business.
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