Man calls Bengaluru his loneliest city despite having active social life, shares why

A man claimed Bengaluru was the loneliest city he had lived in despite having an active social life. His post triggered a wider debate on whether the city's constant busyness leaves little room for stillness or self-connection.

In Short

• Man compared Bengaluru with Patna, Paris, Mumbai and Glasgow cities
• He said the city offers activities, but few spaces for stillness
• Unlike Marine Drive or India Gate, hangouts here demand conversation

A man shared why he felt Bengaluru was the loneliest city he had lived in, despite having friends and a seemingly active social life.

Harsh Snehanshu, founder of Cubbon Reads, took to LinkedIn to reflect on his experience, writing, “Of all the cities I have lived in, Bengaluru is the loneliest. All my friends here are lonely despite the company.”

Having lived across cities like Patna, Paris, Mumbai, and Glasgow, Snehanshu said none felt as isolating as Bengaluru. He attributed this not to a lack of people or activities, but to the nature of the city itself. “Fundamentally, there's nothing to go see in Bengaluru. The city offers nothing to watch, just a lot of things to do,” he wrote.

Expanding on the idea, he argued that the city thrived on constant activity, pubs, parks, runs, or quick getaways, but struggled to offer spaces for stillness. “Doing is a filler when options of seeing aren’t enough,” he said, adding that the moment one stopped being busy, “the city offered nothing.”

Comparing it to other cities, he pointed out how places like India Gate or Marine Drive allowed people to simply sit and exist, whether it was sipping a late-night drink or staring at the sea. “The infinity of the sea in Mumbai makes you travel in space, and the historical monuments of Delhi make you travel in time,” he wrote, describing them as spaces that allowed introspection.

In contrast, he felt Bengaluru’s popular hangout spots, like pubs or social gatherings, demanded interaction. “All of them demand conversation, disallowing you to sit with your thoughts and face existential doom,” he wrote, adding that this often prevented people from finding moments of quiet or inner peace.

“Loneliness becomes the ground state,” he concluded, while also wondering if locals who grew up in the city experience it differently than migrants.

Take a look at the post here:

The post received mixed reactions from social media users. Some users disagreed, arguing that Bengaluru had plenty to offer visually and culturally, with niches that could take months to explore.

Others supported his take, suggesting that the city’s identity as a migrant hub meant people primarily came there to work or build something, not to pause and reflect.

A few also found his perspective interesting for reframing loneliness, not as a lack of relationships with others, but as a lack of connection with oneself.

- Ends