Every fitness app tells you to walk 10,000 steps a day.
But in india, the real question isn’t how many steps — it’s where?

Step outside, and you’ll know what I mean. There’s no sidewalk, no safety, no respect for pedestrians. You dodge bikes, jump over open drains, and pray you don’t get clipped by a car.

In other countries, walking is therapy.
In india, walking is trauma.

🚷 THE MYTH OF “10,000 STEPS”

We keep hearing: “Walk more. Stay fit. Take the stairs.”
But nobody acknowledges the hostile reality of our urban spaces.

In india, walking is an act of courage — not a matter of fitness.

It’s a survival sport.

Every pedestrian is a potential victim of poor planning, indifference, and car worship.

🏚️ THE DEATH OF THE FOOTPATH

Footpaths — if they exist at all — are a cruel joke.

They’re either:

• Non-existent,

• Broken beyond use,

• Or buried under scooters, hawkers, garbage, and parked cars.

• 
  

In Bengaluru, footpaths turn into obstacle courses.
In Mumbai, they double as parking lots.
In Delhi, they vanish entirely.

We’ve normalised walking on roads meant for vehicles, while those meant for us are treated as storage space.

🚗 OUR CITIES WERE DESIGNED FOR TRAFFIC, NOT PEOPLE

Let’s face it — indian cities were never designed for people. They were designed for cars.

Every flyover, every underpass, every “smart city” project screams one message:
Move cars faster, not people safer.

We build eight-lane highways but not eight feet of usable footpath.
We chase futuristic metros while ignoring the first and last kilometre that people still have to walk.

And in that blind race for speed, we’ve forgotten the simplest truth:
A city that can’t protect its pedestrians doesn’t deserve to be called modern.

💀 WALKING IN india IS A DAILY SURVIVAL TEST

In most cities abroad, walking is part of urban joy — a time to think, breathe, and unwind.
In India? It’s a war zone.

You dodge potholes like landmines.
You compete with bikes for space.
You inhale dust, jump over filth, and keep looking over your shoulder for speeding vehicles.

Walking isn’t exercise here — it’s an endurance test against apathy.

🏙️ “SMART CITIES” THAT CAN’T HANDLE BASIC HUMAN NEEDS

Politicians love to boast about “Smart Cities.”
But what’s the point of Wi-Fi-enabled lampposts when the road beneath them is broken?

What’s the point of app-based parking systems when a pedestrian can’t even find a clean, safe walkway?

A city becomes “smart” not when it adds gadgets — but when it cares for people.
And right now, indian cities don’t.

⚖️ WALKING IS NOT A PRIVILEGE — IT’S A HUMAN RIGHT

Somewhere along the way, india forgot a simple truth: walking is the foundation of all mobility.

Every bus ride, every metro trip, every journey begins and ends with a walk.

And yet, we’ve designed cities that punish you for doing the most basic, human thing — walking.

It’s not about luxury. It’s not about fitness. It’s about dignity.

💬 THE FINAL WORD: LET’S MAKE india WALKABLE AGAIN

india doesn’t need more flyovers — it needs footpaths.

It doesn’t need more expressways — it needs safe crossings.
It doesn’t need more “smart” — it needs humane.

Let’s stop designing cities for cars.
Let’s start designing them for people.

Because a nation that can’t protect its pedestrians is a nation that’s lost its humanity.

It’s time to reclaim our streets.
It’s time to make india Walkable Again.