A top official at an Indian airline is facing backlash after he posted a tweet comparing metro stations in Dubai and India, calling the latter's infrastructure "artless concrete eyesores".
Sanjiv Kapoor, who was appointed chief executive of Jet Airways just last year, posted two pictures side-by-side - one of a metro station in Bengaluru and another of a station in Dubai - to prove his point.
"Bangalore, Gurgaon, Kolkata... why are our overground/overhead metro stations such artless concrete eyesores? Take a look at Dubai (right) compared to Bangalore (left). And this Dubai station was probably built 10 years ago!" he said in his post.
The comparison has brought about both positive and negative responses, with one user commenting that the country's public infrastructure is "not eco-friendly, not cost-friendly or beautiful".
"India's metro stations' lack of artistic appeal leaves much to be desired. With such a rich cultural heritage, it's a shame that the country's public spaces aren't more visually inspiring. Let's hope for a future where form and function can coexist," another posted.
Meanwhile, many have commented and shared images of the aesthetically-pleasing art that can be found at metro stations in Bangalore and the capital, Delhi.
Bangalore metro has amazing artwork on the walls. They let artists paint the walls later on.
— Srijan R Shetty (@srijanshetty) March 19, 2023
Case in point, church street metro: pic.twitter.com/41ojhy7JQx
Delhi Metro for you! pic.twitter.com/HA8z0g6AZZ
— Rahul Kapoor (@okwithrk) March 18, 2023