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Journalism of Courage
A video shared by an Indian travel vlogger in Bangkok has sparked a heated discussion online about the stark contrast between urban planning in India and abroad. The clip, posted on Instagram by traveller Mohit, shows him walking along a sleek elevated pedestrian walkway in the Thai capital, a structure that floats above busy roads with the Metro line soaring even higher overhead.
In the video, Mohit narrates in Hindi, later translated to English: “Right now, I’m walking on a structure that is actually above the ground. The road is below, the metro runs even higher above it, and between them they’ve created this elevated walkway. It connects to multiple buildings, continues further ahead, and feels seamlessly integrated. It’s clear to me that everything here has been built according to what people actually need. This is true people-first planning.”
He then contrasts it with the situation back home: “In India, we have bureaucrat-first planning, where whatever an officer or politician imagines from the top is simply drawn on paper and handed to the public… Whether it suits people or not hardly matters. This is Bangkok. If they can progress this far, why can’t we?” Mohit goes on to lament the lack of basic pedestrian infrastructure in Indian cities, adding that “we don’t even have proper footpaths to walk on.”
After the video made its way to X, it quickly went viral, with one user reposting it alongside the biting caption: “More and more Indians travelling abroad and realising they are being made fools of in India.”
The clip has since crossed a million views, drawing hundreds of reactions that mix anger, disappointment, and reflection. A user wrote, “We are starving for facilities.”
Another user commented, “Bangkok is gold standard in urban planning. Indian cities could never.” A third person wrote, “It’s not about hating India, it’s about realising how much better things could be if people demanded accountability.”
A fourth individual wrote, “The citizens themselves are responsible for the mess in India. When they travel abroad, they will follow all the rules, once back to India, they are back to their old irresponsible selves. Let us stop blaming others and start following rules, and keep our country clean.”
