From Patna to Paris, no city is lonelier than Bengaluru, says founder of Cubbon Reads

Harsh Snehanshu is the man behind Cubbon Reads and Pint of View — two initiatives that bring like-minded people together under one roof (or one sky, in case of the former). Despite his initiatives forging new friendships and fostering a sense of community in Bengaluru, Snehanshu says that Bengaluru is the “loneliest” city.Harsh Snehanshu is the man behind Cubbon Reads and Pint of View(Also read: Booked to bond: Bengalureans park at Cubbon to read and rejuvenate)“Bengaluru is the loneliest”In a post shared on LinkedIn yesterday, the entrepreneur who has lived in cities as diverse as Patna and Paris said that no city feels as lonely as Bengaluru. He attributed this sense of loneliness to the lack of things to see in the IT capital of India.“Of all the cities I have lived in, Bengaluru is the loneliest,” Snehanshu said in his LinkedIn post.He claimed that all his friends in the city are lonely too. “I blame it on the city somehow. I have lived in different cities. Patna, Paris, Dhanbad-Delhi-Dharamshala, Mumbai, Manali, Glasgow, Goa but none felt this lonely,” Snehanshu said.So much to see, nothing to doIn a long reflection shared on social media, Snehanshu said that while Bengaluru constantly offers people “things to do”, it offers very little space for simply exing, wandering or sitting alone with one’s thoughts.In Mumbai, a person can spend time looking at the sea. In Delhi, one can step into hory through the various monuments that dot the city. In Bengaluru, there is no such respite.(Also read: The loneliness of living in Bengaluru, as revealed in viral Reddit post of a ‘corporate mazdoor’)“The city provides no inspiration for idling, for doing nothing. Like having chuski at India Gate at midnight or sitting the sea oneself that Marine Drive offers,” said the founder of Pint of View in his LinkedIn post.Snehanshu argued that Bengaluru’s culture revolves around constant activity — cafés, pubs, runs, reading groups and weekend getaways — which can mask a deeper sense of emptiness.According to him, the city lacks spaces that inspire quiet reflection or idle wandering. “Fundamentally, there’s nothing to go see in Bengaluru. The city offers nothing to watch, just a lot of things to do,” he wrote.Migrant life in Bengaluru?Towards the end of the post, Snehanshu wondered whether the feeling was specific to migrants who move to Bengaluru for work and build lives away from family.“I wonder if this experience is different for people who are not migrants but who grew up with family here?” he wrote, inviting others to share their experiences.“Me and my wife discuss the same thing. Bengaluru has nothing to do apart from eating and drinking out or clubbing,” wrote one person in the comments section.(Also read: ‘I feel like a ghost’: Bengaluru techie opens up about isolation and loneliness at work and home)“You should really get out and explore the city. that I mean outside of Indiranagar and Koramangala,” another suggested.“It’s funny but my experience has been so different. I’ve lived in Bangalore for the past 5 years and I find that the parks and lakes of Bangalore are beautiful places to just be. And see – taking from your post. I’ve spent many hours just idly walking in parks with no real aim, enjoying the sunset, watching the blooms of the season. And in fact, having grown up in Mumbai I find Bangalore to be better cause the weather allows me to do much more of this than Mumbai ever did,” a user added, offering a different perspective.