Canadian Blogger’s Viral Post on India’s Broken Footpaths Sparks Debate on Urban Neglect
Caleb Friesen, a Canadian who has made India his home for nearly eight years, has once again stirred up social media with his satirical yet painfully accurate take on India’s crumbling urban infrastructure.
Known for his sharp, humorous commentary on everyday chaos in Indian cities, Friesen has this time turned his camera on something most citizens have sadly grown accustomed to — the sorry state of Indian footpaths.
In his latest video, shared on X, Friesen is seen struggling to push a stroller along a broken, uneven, and cluttered sidewalk — a sight that instantly resonated with millions across the country.
Captioning his post, he mockingly listed “What Indian footpaths are for in descending order of importance.”
The list begins with “power junction boxes, electrical poles, hoardings, food stalls, Darshini overflow, parked vehicles, trees, potted plants,” and only at number nine appear pedestrians, narrowly ahead of “parents with strollers or differently-abled in wheelchairs.”
The video, meant as a humorous social critique, quickly went viral. Hundreds of users shared their own experiences of navigating India’s so-called footpaths that seem designed for everything but walking.
One user quipped, “I think the bus stop or auto pickup point would be somewhere above 8,” to which Friesen responded, “Forgot about this! So true.”
Another recounted a near-mishap in Pune: “Last week, my father tried to roll a suitcase on the footpath, and it got stuck in a pothole — he slipped. Indian footpaths don’t even provide a seamless 100m path. Tier-1 cities have become a monumental waste.”
Others echoed similar frustrations, pointing out the broader problem of urban indifference.
One wrote, People can’t use strollers for infants or toddlers, and impossible for differently-abled individuals to live a dignified life in India. Buildings aren’t wheelchair compatible, neither are buses or trains.”
Another remarked, “The fourth-largest economy cannot offer the simplest pleasure of taking your child for a walk.”
Sadly, Friesen’s observations reflect a nationwide reality — that no Indian city truly boasts proper, pedestrian-friendly footpaths, barring a few exceptional examples where authorities actively remove encroachments and ensure vendors or illegal structures don’t choke walking spaces.
In most other cities, footpaths are either nonexistent, damaged, or hijacked by everything from hawkers to parked two-wheelers, leaving pedestrians to risk their lives on busy roads.
What makes this situation even more distressing is the stark contrast with India’s economic aspirations.
As the country proudly positions itself to become the third-largest economy in the world, it is ironic that it still struggles to provide citizens with the basic dignity of clean, usable walkways.
Economic growth, no matter how impressive, rings hollow when city streets remain chaotic, garbage piles up at corners, and foul stench fills the air.
If India is to truly achieve its dream of becoming a global economic powerhouse, the transformation must begin at the grassroots level — from our streets, sidewalks, and civic sense.
It becomes the prime duty of every citizen, official, and urban body to join hands in giving our cities a sparkling, hygienic, and orderly look, where garbage is cleared promptly, encroachments are removed, and the health of citizens is never compromised.
Because no economy can truly rise if its people cannot even walk safely on their own streets.
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