After living in Mumbai for five years before relocating to Gurgaon, influencer Vishakha Kaushik says she has started missing the city’s more spontaneous and outdoorsy way of life.
In a recent discussion, Kaushik compared her experiences of Mumbai with life in the Delhi-NCR region and explained why she feels the everyday social routine in Gurgaon, Noida and Delhi can become repetitive.
According to her, many outings in the region tend to centre around cafés, restaurants, parties, drinking or other activities that involve spending money. Mumbai, she recalled, offered more opportunities to simply step outside, meet friends and spend time together without necessarily having to make a purchase.
Vishakha Kaushik Says Mumbai Had More Free Ways to Socialise
Kaushik said that after a while, she began feeling that social plans in Delhi-NCR followed a similar pattern.
“After a point, it feels like every plan is the same,” she said.
She contrasted that experience with some of her favourite ways of spending time in Mumbai. An evening there could involve sitting at Marine Drive, walking along Carter Road, looking out at the sea or simply finding a spot near the waterfront and talking with friends.
For Kaushik, those experiences were valuable precisely because they did not require a restaurant reservation or an elaborate plan.
She clarified that her observation was not intended as criticism of people living in Delhi-NCR. Instead, she feels the region has fewer easily accessible public spaces where people can gather, relax and spend time together without food, shopping or nightlife becoming the central activity.
Her comments reflect a personal preference based on her years in both cities rather than a broader assessment of life in Mumbai or Delhi-NCR.
Ganesh Chaturthi Makes Her Miss Mumbai Even More
One occasion that particularly reminds Kaushik of Mumbai is Ganesh Chaturthi.
She described the festival season in the city as “magical” and recalled the atmosphere created by Ganpati pandals, processions, music and dhol performances.
For her, even travelling through Mumbai during the festival could feel like part of the celebration. The sounds of drums coming from different parts of the city and the presence of decorated pandals created an atmosphere she says she now misses.
“I just want to sit in a pandal for a while,” Kaushik said.
She also admitted to experiencing strong FOMO when she watches videos of Mumbai’s Ganesh Chaturthi celebrations online.
At one point, she joked about visiting Lalbaugcha Raja and asking the deity to “fix it”, referring humorously to her desire to return to the Mumbai lifestyle and her feeling that life has become more complicated after moving away.
She Acknowledges Delhi’s Own Festive Culture
Kaushik appeared aware that comparing Mumbai and Delhi could invite different opinions, so she also acknowledged the festive culture associated with Delhi.
She noted that the capital has its own large-scale celebrations, particularly around Diwali, along with parties and other events. However, she feels those experiences are different from the street-level festivities and public atmosphere she remembers from Mumbai during Ganesh Chaturthi.
Her point, therefore, was less about declaring one city better than the other and more about describing the type of urban experience she personally enjoyed.
Social Media Users Have Mixed Reactions
Kaushik’s comments prompted a range of responses online, with several users saying they understood her feelings about Mumbai.
One person simply wrote, “Agree.”
Another commented, “Exactly.. I also miss bombay same way.”
“Completely relate,” another user said.
However, not everyone shared the same perspective. One commenter pointed out that Delhi offers a variety of public attractions beyond its food and nightlife scene.
“Just came back from Bombay. Although I loved Bombay for its beauty and safety, Delhi has so many gardens, museums, and monuments to explore. And when I asked Mumbai locals what I could visit besides cafes, they literally said, ‘NOTHING,’” the user wrote.
Another person responded, “The feeling is mutual,” while another said, “Exactly my version of what you think of Mumbai.”
The contrasting reactions highlight how differently people experience the two metropolitan regions. While Kaushik misses Mumbai’s waterfront spaces, street celebrations and spontaneous plans, others pointed to Delhi’s gardens, museums, monuments and other public attractions.
For Kaushik, though, the memories of Mumbai remain closely tied to a particular kind of everyday freedom — being able to meet friends, spend time outdoors and enjoy the city without having to turn every outing into a paid activity.
