Gurgaon founder explains why he continues to live in the city despite its problems: ‘No Indian city is truly livable’

A Gurgaon-based founder has sparked a discussion on the quality of life in Indian cities after saying that he has the option to leave Gurgaon but has not found another Indian city that offers a better combination of lifestyle and earning opportunities.The founder, who has been living in Gurgaon for 8 years, said that no Indian city is truly livable. (Unsplash/Representational image)Deepak Abbot, co-founder of Indiagold, shared his views on X in response to a user who questioned why highly paid professionals choose to live in Gurgaon.“I’ve been living in Gurgaon for 8 years now. I HAVE the choice to leave, but I can’t think of another Indian city that would give me any better quality of life while offering me the same earning opportunities,” Abbot wrote.He said that while no Indian city is “truly livable”, people often create their own comfortable spaces and learn to live with the shortcomings of the city they choose. “No Indian city is truly ‘livable’. We create our own bubbles of comfort and make peace with the rest,” he wrote.Abbot said that he had followed a similar approach while living in Delhi, Mumbai and Hyderabad over the previous two decades before moving to Gurgaon. “I did that while living in Delhi, Mumbai, Hyderabad for last 20 years before moving to Gurgaon,” he wrote.“If you spend every day cribbing about the city you live in, eventually you’re just making your own life miserable. Find what works for you,” he concluded.Abbot’s post came in response to an X user, Karthika, who wrote, “I am in Gurgaon rn and can’t believe so many high salaried people are choosing to spend a significant portion of their life here.”(Also Read: IIT, ISB-educated CEO runs $5bn startup in Gurgaon, makes products for Coach, Zara, Michael Kors)What did social media say?Abbot’s post drew reactions from several users, with some agreeing that Gurgaon offers a combination of employment opportunities, amenities and lifestyle that is difficult to find elsewhere in India.One user wrote, “100%. Both you and me have lived in major metros. The quality of life, lifestyle and sheer value that Gurgaon offers is unmatched. It surely has its issues but in India, it’s the best. Especially DLF5. I know no other place like it.”“Absolutely true! People talk as if there are other real alternatives. All cities are cluster ducked,” commented another.“i agree with the sentiment, but i also do the cribbing thing about the cities i live in. it takes time to settle and find the nice places to spend time in. That said, have you lived in Bengaluru? What does ggn have over blr?” wrote a third user.“Spot on, 99 percent cities are shit and unlivable, but only a few have that level of employment and other necessary amenities,” said another.However, some users pushed back against the claim that Gurgaon offers a comparatively better quality of life.One user wrote, “wrong, check tricity, Chandigarh panchkula , far better organized and much better lifestyle then even many European cities, AQI is <40 for most of the year.”“Haiiiii?? Did you just use Gurgaon and Quality of life in the same sentence?” commented another.“For that matter Gurgaon too is not livable. Temperature, Pollution, Availability of jobs (if in earning age, else it don’t matter) are two factors that must be on top priority l while deciding whether a city is livable,” wrote one user.