For generations, Indians have been accustomed to asking their neighbourhood vegetable vendor for a little extra dhaniya (coriander) and mirch (green chillies) at no additional cost. Now, it appears that tradition has found its way into the world of quick commerce too — even when the purchase has nothing to do with vegetables.
Bengaluru-based venture capitalist Ritesh Banglani recently shared an amusing experience on X after ordering an SD card from Swiggy Instamart. Along with the memory card, he found a complimentary bunch of dhaniya in his order.
Dhaniya free with SD card
“Indian quick commerce is wild. I ordered an SD card and got some dhaniya free with it,” Banglani wrote on X yesterday.
His post quickly resonated with social media users. Many reacted with disbelief, while others joked that Instamart had embraced one of India’s oldest retail traditions.
“Tell me this is a joke and not real. Else I will ROFL,” wrote Paytm founder Vijay Shekhar Sharma.
Ritesh Banglani, who is part of the investment team at Stellaris Venture Partners, shared a screenshot of his order as proof.
“Did you say Dhaniyavad,” another user quipped with a word play on dhaniya (coriander) and dhanyavaad (the Hindi word for ‘thank you’).
Entrepreneur Vivek Kejriwal wrote: “They are aping local grocery store. Just that they have ability to give on SD card too.”
As it turned out, Banglani was not alone in getting dhaniya free with his order. X user Vinay Kesari ordered an iPhone via a quick commerce app back in May and got fresh coriander leaves free with it. He posted photographic proof under Banglani’s post.
The free dhaniya trend
For decades, complimentary dhaniya and mirch have been an unwritten part of the Indian vegetable shopping experience. Customers often expect local vendors to toss in a small bunch for free at the end of a purchase — a gesture seen as both goodwill and tradition.
That offline custom made its way into quick commerce in 2024 after Mumbai-based entrepreneur Ankit Sawant posted on X that his mother was shocked to see Blinkit charging separately for coriander. She suggested the platform should offer it free with vegetable orders above a certain value.
Blinkit CEO Albinder Dhindsa responded with a simple “Will do”, and within hours the company rolled out a feature allowing eligible customers to add 100 grams of complimentary coriander to their orders.
(Also read: Blinkit hears Mumbai man’s mom’s suggestion, adds free dhaniya with vegetables. CEO Albinder Dhindsa shares on X)