In a post titled “Why living in Bengaluru has become irritable recently,” a Redittor––Normal_Excuse_6303––outlined a range of issues that have made daily life increasingly difficult in the city.
Having grown up in Basavanagudi and later moving to RR Nagar, he recalled fond memories of Bengaluru, and admitted that now, commuting to MG Road for work has become a daily nightmare. “Our family owns multiple vehicles, and driving around was always the easiest way to get anywhere. But now, even when parked inside, our cars and bikes are constantly covered in dust,” he wrote in the post, adding that he had to buy an air purifier due to worsening air quality.
The Redditor attributed this “decline” to factors beyond just seasonal changes: “Some may say it is due to the summer, but I clearly remember never having this problem before. I am guessing it is due to fewer trees and plants, as well as unfinished roadwork exposing sand everywhere.”
Beyond the infrastructure issues, he lamented a noticeable dip in public behaviour. “The civic sense and discipline of the overall population seems to be going down. Clearly evident in any activity you do, especially during travelling. The people are not nice and it seems like everyone hates the other person and sees them as an enemy,” he wrote.
Take a look at the post:
Screenshot of the Reddit post
Lack of cleanliness was one of his major grievances. He described footpaths turning into garbage dumps and public spaces littered with gutkha stains, plastic waste, and alcohol bottles. “I am scared to go beside any bus as people are spitting left and right,” he wrote.
Even switching to public transport didn’t help, he said, confessing he initially thought the Metro would offer relief, as he only needed to take the Purple Line to work. But reality, he said, hit hard.
“I went relatively early 7:30 AM to board, and my station is around 3 stops from the starting point of the line and what do I see, there is barely space to stand. Frustrated from this left early 2:30 PM to beat the crowd and surprise surprise, it was completely full even after waiting for the next train,” he wrote.
Story continues below this ad
The Redditor concluded the post saying, “All in all starting to dislike this once great city.”
His post struck a chord with many. One user pointed out that this isn’t just a Bengaluru problem, saying, “You could replace the city’s name with any metro in India, and it would still hold true.” Another user blamed the rapid urbanisation and a lack of greenery: “Land value per square foot is skyrocketing, and no one sees the benefit in planting trees anymore. We’re living in concrete jungles.”
Others felt that the pandemic intensified the issue, with one user saying, “Post-COVID, migration to big cities has shot up, making the crowds and traffic unbearable.”