Woman shares why returning to Delhi no longer feels like coming home: ‘I can sense the difference’

Delhi, once known for its vibrant streets and festive spirit, is now being known for its worsening AQI and changing culture. A woman on Reddit, who grew up in Delhi for 23 years, says returning home fills her with nostalgia and sadness.(Pexels/Representational Image) A woman, in a Reddit post, who grew up inDelhifor 23 years, says coming back home now fills her with a mix of nostalgia and sadness. Once proud to call herself the “most Delhi girl” in college, she finds the city she loved is changing faster than she expected. “Does anyone feel that we have lost the Dilli of our childhoods?” the caption of the post read. Delhi streets lost their charm: According to the woman, the city is changing at a saddening pace. Pollution hits harder than before, making her fall sick and feel like an outsider who cannot tolerate the Delhi air. “I can sense the difference in the air now, and it makes me so sad that I fell sick because suddenly I am an outsider who can’t tolerate the Delhi pollution,” she wrote. She highlighted that the streets and public spaces are becoming less walkable. Street vendors and e-rickshaws crowd the roads, creating a chaotic environment in popular markets such as Kamla Nagar and Rajouri. “No one needs ten Momo stalls in a radius of 500 metres,” she said. Even areas once pleasant for evening walks, like Connaught Place, are now packed with people filming TikToks and random vendors selling unnecessary items. “The kids have stopped celebrating festivals. I don’t see kites on 15th Aug, kids barely hit you with balloons and pichkaris a week before Holi starts. Neighbours have lost touch,” the post read. Check out the post here: Screengrab of the Reddit post.(Reddit) Reddit reacts: The post drew a mix of reactions from Reddit users. Some sympathised with her nostalgia, sharing their own memories of a cleaner, more walkable Delhi. One of the users commented, “Sunshine of 2000 – 2010 was different…it was refreshing.” A second user commented, “Delhi is no more how it used to be 10-15 years ago. The spirit of Delhi has now faded out.” A third user commented, “Everything has changed.. I so agree with it. The feeling of a community has completely vanished.” “Yes, over-migration has killed my city. It’s hard to recognize the people I grew up with,” another user commented. (Disclaimer: This report is based on user-generated content from social media. HT.com has not independently verified the claims and does not endorse them.)