'Bengaluru was serene haven...': Harsh Goenka's post on IITians and traffic sparks debate online

Industrialist Harsh Goenka recently took to his X account to reminisce about the city Bengaluru was some years ago, and how it has totally changed now.

Comparing Bengaluru to a "serene haven", he noted the leisurely pace of life back then.

"Once upon a time, Bengaluru was a serene haven—morning walks in Cubbon Park, leisurely drives in Premier Padmini, and lazy afternoons spent in quaint bookstores," he wrote in the post, along with a picture of Infosys co-founders Narayana Murthy and Nandan Nilekani.

Then Goenka went on to point fingers at "bright IITians" and complained about the traffic situation in Bengaluru.

"Then, a few bright IITians got some seed money from their better halves, and now… we spend more time stuck on Outer Ring Road than enjoying the ‘Garden City’ breeze. Progress, they call it!" he wrote.

The post garnered over 84k views and a flurry of comments, and the internet seemed to be divided.

"It brought progress to a lot of people. It was also great for the state and the country. Sorry, it ruined your life," a user commented.

"Don't blame them blame the few money grubbing politicians who throw scraps at the people while ensuring their own comfort. And also those people who elect people who promise freebies and skimp on true development," a second user wrote.

Another commented, "It is progress. Just not a sustainable one."

"It is no longer the garden city! If only they had picked a major city instead of the sleepy town! Now it is a nightmare! Jigni used to be outskirts of Bangalore now it isn’t. India’s worst drivers are in Bangalore," commented fourth.

"That is the price one pays for unplanned development in our country, if we had good visionaries this wouldn't be the case for any metro," a fifth opined.