ARTICLE
This thought came to me while I was traveling in Bangalore. I was moving through the city, weaving between crowds, cars, and the chaos that somehow coexists in perfect disharmony. For a moment, I couldn’t help but think about how different it feels from walking around in Berlin.
Isn't comparing them unrealistic?
Bangalore is one of India’s major cities. Everyone seems to be moving here, chasing jobs, opportunities or maybe just a better lifestyle. The weather is pleasant, the tech scene is massive, the malls are endless and you can find food from almost every corner of the world. It’s exciting, vibrant, full of life. But reaching those experiences peacefully? That’s where the challenge begins.
So why compare Bangalore with Berlin? Because both are big cities, fast, creative, and culturally rich. Yet they couldn’t feel more different.
In Berlin, walking was pure joy. I would head out with no destination, exploring freely without worrying about traffic or noise. The streets were lined with art and calm, the parks beautifully kept and close to one another, and everything just… worked. You could wander for hours, lose yourself, and somehow still feel safe and alive. There’s something deeply satisfying about walking with no purpose in a place that welcomes it.
In Bangalore, that feeling fades quickly. Let’s start with the infamous traffic. You could probably walk a distance in Berlin faster than a cab could cover it here. It’s exhausting. And the sidewalks? They exist in fragments. Construction projects seem to appear almost everywhere you see without any real progress, leaving broken paths and uneven roads. You walk a hundred meters, and suddenly the sidewalk vanishes! taken over by dust, debris or vendors. The city feels like it’s constantly under repair, yet never quite finished.
The "Hustle culture"
It’s not that Bangalore is bad, it’s that it doesn’t give you space to breathe. You conserve energy just to move through it, rather than spending that energy to explore it. On top of that, you're constantly surrounded by people who seem to have forgotten how to enjoy life. You'd find people working till 9 pm, 10 pm or even after midnight without caring about their health. Yeah you earn a lot but at the same time, you spend that money on hospital bills. It's like a cycle.
But it’s not only about the environment, it’s about what it brings out in me. In India, I know everything: the rhythm, the language, the shortcuts, the unspoken rules. I blend in too easily. That familiarity makes life comfortable, but maybe too comfortable. I stop pushing myself.
Berlin was the opposite. Every day demanded effort, to communicate, to connect, to belong. I had to give my best, and somehow, I loved that. The little bit of stress, the constant effort…it made me feel alive. People often joke about Germans being serious or distant, but the warmth and kindness I felt there were real. The hospitality was genuine, even if it came wrapped in quietness.
Maybe that’s what I miss, not the city itself, but the people, the air and who I was when I was there. The version of me that kept growing, learning and chasing my dreams.