Entrepreneur’s note on leaving Bengaluru after 14 years: ‘I am not a local…’

Entrepreneur Asthana Ujjawal penned a goodbye note to Bengaluru, the city he called his home for over 14 years, while moving base to Pune. The co-founder of Zymrat said that Bengaluru gave him everything that is good in his life, including two successful business ventures and his life partner. His post for Bengaluru is going steadily viral on X, where hundreds of users shared their own two cents on life in Bengaluru vs Pune.
Bengaluru, often called the startup hub of India, attracts techies and entrepreneurs from all over the country. Over the last few years, fueled by the Kannadiga movement, there has been increasing opposition to migrants in the capital of Karnataka. However, Ujjawal implied that his reason for leaving Bengaluru is purely professional and not out of any ill will. In fact, he said that he never felt like an outsider in the city.
“Personal note: I am leaving Bangalore for Pune,” he wrote on X.
“Bangalore has been home for 14+ years. The city has given me all the good things in my life – first job, first foreign trip, a life partner, 2 successful businesses, funding, startup acquisition, great friends, a network worth in gold and much more,” he added.
The entrepreneur and techie said that Bengaluru never made him feel like an outsider. “I am not a local but there wasn’t a day when I felt like an outsider – and if you are thinking that’s because I live in a bubble of high rise and car – that’s not the case. I have also lived the BMTC, Auto, Cab life in the city for longest time,” he said.
Ujjawal ended his post with a word for those who call Bengaluru “meh”. He said that Bengaluru is not so much a city as a beautiful experience – “You experience it once you live with the people here and walk in the lanes of Jayanagar,” he said, adding that he was still looking forward to making a home in Pune but would walk the lanes of Bengaluru each time he returned.

People in the comments section of the post had plenty to say about Bengaluru and Pune. The Maharashtrian city got great reviews from X users.
“Pune is a great city to live in – good people, weather, food, vibes. I’d say that it has the good parts of all Indian cities, and none of the extreme greats or bad,” X user Aviral Bhatnagar said.
“Pune is Bangalore at a smaller scale,” another X user opined.
“Pune is one of the best cities in India — I miss everyday — If I ever come back to India I’ll live without a doubt in Pune,” said Sweden-based techie Ankur Tyagi.