‘India then becomes a compromise’: Ex-NRI explains why she pays ₹100 for a 1-km auto ride to her gym

An ex-NRI living in India has explained why she prefers taking an auto-rickshaw to her gym, even though it is only about 1.3 km from her home.

Nupur Dave shared her experience in an Instagram video, saying she would normally prefer walking such a short distance. However, the condition of the route and safety concerns have made the daily walk difficult. "Now I started normalising taking a rickshaw for 1 km every day," Dave said.

Speeding vehicles and encroached footpaths

Dave described several challenges along the route, including poorly maintained and dirty pathways, encroachments and parked scooters. She said she has to pass through an area where "everybody stares", while the pathway is "ubad-khabad", dirty and encroached.


She also spoke about having to walk along a busy main road and cross a signal where vehicles often move at high speed. "I have to run to cross so that no vehicle comes and runs me over," she said.

During the video, Dave also reflected on whether the difficulties she experiences while walking are connected to being a woman. Dave recalled that she had previously lived in apartments where she could walk through "a tree-lined, beautiful area". She said her current surroundings do not provide the same experience.

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Nupur Dave | NRI Counsellor, Author (@nupur.nri)

‘India then becomes a compromise’

Dave said these everyday inconveniences have become part of her experience of moving back to India after being an NRI. "India then becomes a compromise, but it's a happy one," she said, adding that she tries to find practical ways to deal with the challenges.

Paying ₹100 for a little peace

In the caption accompanying her video, Dave said she spends around ₹100 on the auto ride because she considers it a way of avoiding some of the daily stress. "I'm not trying to eliminate every inconvenience. I'm choosing which ones I'm willing to pay to avoid," she wrote.

The post also sparked reactions from users, with one commenter writing, "Agree, the civic sense in india and safety for woman has a long way to go!!"

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