"Used To Love The City": Stand-Up Comedian Abijit Ganguly Explains Why He Left Mumbai After 9 Years

Stand-up comedian Abijit Ganguly has moved from Mumbai to Bengaluru, saying he wanted more greenery, space and better surroundings for his family, especially with a baby. In a social media post, Ganguly explained how his experience of living in Mumbai had changed over the years and why he eventually decided to leave the city.

Ganguly said he moved out of Mumbai last week after gradually realising that the city seemed to be in a constant state of construction. He expressed his view that new projects and renovations would continue, making everyday life difficult for residents. He also pointed out that even projects completed a few years ago could be broken down to make way for bigger ones.

Describing life in Mumbai as being in "hard mode", Ganguly said the arrival of a baby in his family made him look for a place with more greenery and open space. He also wanted an environment with schools that had enough space.

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Shifted out of Mumbai last week. Gradually realised the city will be in a perpetual state of construction since that's how contractors and in turn ministers will make money. So there'll always be that next project, next renovation to make your life tough. And if nothing else, they'll break an existing one completed just few years ago to make something bigger. Living in Mumbai constantly felt like life in hard mode. And with a baby in picture, wanted to have a little bit of greenery and space around. And eventually schools with space. Used to love the city when I came 9 years back from Delhi. But something shifted some years back, specially post lockdown. Incidentally I think Mumbai was good to live as long as 'Dilli se aaya hai kya?' used to be an insult. Now let's see..

— Abijit Ganguly (@AbijitG) October 19, 2026

The comedian recalled that he had loved Mumbai when he moved there from Delhi nine years ago. However, he felt that something had changed in the city over the years, particularly after the COVID lockdown.

In a follow-up post, Ganguly clarified that he had moved to Bengaluru. He acknowledged that the city also faced construction-related problems but said that, based on his recent visits and evaluations, he had found it a better option than Mumbai.

Ganguly explained that for many comedians, Delhi NCR, Bengaluru and Mumbai were the main practical choices, with Pune and Hyderabad also being options for those who already had an audience base there.

He said he could not consider the NCR because of the pollution situation, especially with a baby. He also felt that after living in Mumbai, the NCR seemed unnecessarily combative.

Explaining Bengaluru's appeal, Ganguly said the city still had plenty of trees and greenery. He attributed this partly to the fact that 50 per cent of the city was a military cantonment, adding that the greenery helped keep the city alive.

He also cited better schools, better houses and cheaper rents as reasons for choosing Bengaluru, noting that everything felt less expensive after living in Mumbai.

Ganguly ended his post on a light-hearted note, saying he was on his way to a Kannada lesson as he began this new chapter of his life.