- An Indian woman in Australia noticed high costs of socialising in Mumbai compared to free public spaces there
- The woman reflected Indian cities often make people pay to socialise, turning residents into customers first
- Her post sparked debate on social media about lack of free public spaces and reliance on commercial venues
For one Indian woman living in Australia, a return to Mumbai brought an unexpected realisation about how much money can go into simply spending time with others. Her experience has sparked an online discussion about socialising, public spaces, and the need to spend money while exploring a city. In a video, Instagram user Smidha shared her experience of returning to India and compared it with her life in Australia.
She said she recently went back to India and realised how much money she spent just trying to hang out there.
While in Mumbai, Smidha wanted to explore the city, but found that almost every plan involved a cafe, restaurant, or mall. She said she had never questioned this before moving to Australia because it had always seemed normal to her.
Watch Video Here:
She then compared this with Australia, where she said she could meet someone at a park, walk by the beach, sit in a library, or spend an afternoon somewhere without ordering anything.
Talking about the difference, Smidha said that back home, meeting someone first meant deciding where to have coffee.
The experience also made her think about how several Indian cities have evolved into places where people often need to spend money to socialise. She said that somewhere along the way, many cities became places where people have to be customers before they can simply be people.
In the caption, Smidha wrote that even breathing comes at a cost.
Social Media Reaction
The post prompted mixed reactions, with some users agreeing that a lack of comfortable public spaces pushes people towards commercial establishments, while others said Mumbai and other Indian cities have several free places to spend time.
One user commented, "The summer heat, lack of nature, and inadequate public infrastructure in cities force us to limit ourselves to indoor spaces."
Another user noted, "That's one of the reasons people find it difficult in their fitness journey, every socialisation revolves around food."
"Good point," added a third user.
A fourth user noted, "You step out and spend money."
