Daijiworld Media Network - Bengaluru
Bengaluru, May 6: A video shared by the Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike (BBMP) featuring Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) cricketer Tim David praising the city’s civic amenities has triggered a wave of reactions on social media, with many netizens pointing to Bengaluru’s larger urban woes.
The 44-second video, posted on BBMP’s official X (formerly Twitter) handle, shows Tim David, an Australian cricketer based in Singapore, lauding the open-air gym facilities at BBMP parks. The clip is part of a promotional interview conducted by actor and content creator Danish Sait, known for his comic persona ‘Nags’.
“When I miss Singapore, I come to the BBMP park,” David says with a smile.
“In Singapore, there is really good exercising equipment – big and strong ones. Trainer Basu Shankar took me to the BBMP park this morning. I used the hand-rotating machine, walked, and did some shoulder presses.”
When Sait jokes that Bengaluru’s parks now rival those in Singapore, David responds affirmatively – “Absolutely.”
Offering advice to the youth, he adds: “Children, the most important thing – if you want to be a big power hitter, get stronger. Get down to the BBMP park.”
BBMP, while sharing the video, captioned it: “RCB batsman Tim David praised BBMP parks for offering accessible and functional fitness spaces to the public, drawing fresh attention to open-air gyms that have become a quiet but significant part of Bengaluru’s public infrastructure.”
However, the post sparked a flurry of criticism, with users accusing BBMP of focusing on publicity while ignoring Bengaluru’s persistent civic issues.
“First, fix the roads that lead to these parks before patting yourselves on the back,” commented a user named Sufian.
Another user, Akshay, wrote: “Let Tim David try commuting like a commoner in Bengaluru.”
User ‘U-pain’ added sarcastically: “You need to be athletic just to walk on Bengaluru’s streets.”
From the handle ‘Better Bengaluru’, a comment read: “He probably saw the lawns outside his hotel and thought that’s all of Bengaluru. Let him travel five km outside the CBD to see the real state of affairs.”
Another user, Gireesh Kunnathattil, posted: “Sure, he praised the parks – congratulations! But he clearly hasn’t ventured beyond the city centre, where potholes and uncollected garbage dominate the landscape.”
While the BBMP aimed to highlight its investment in public health and fitness infrastructure, the video has instead reignited public frustration over the city’s deteriorating civic conditions, with many accusing the civic body of being out of touch with the average Bengalurean’s daily struggles.