Sabeer Bhatia posts Old Delhi tour

Sabeer Bhatia used a May 20 post on X to describe a cycling tour through Old Delhi as both visually rich and marred by poor sanitation near Chandni Chowk. The Hotmail co-founder praised the area’s history, architecture and street energy in the thread, according to the post referenced in social-media briefings reviewed for this story. He also complained about garbage on the streets and a persistent odor, using the post to call for stronger civic responsibility. (x.com) Old Delhi and Chandni Chowk are established stops on commercial bicycle tours that market the district’s Mughal-era landmarks, bazaars and narrow lanes to visitors. (x.com) Tour operators describe those rides as a way to see the walled city at daybreak, before traffic builds, with routes that commonly pass Chandni Chowk, Jama Masjid and nearby markets. ### What exactly did Bhatia say in the post? Sabeer Bhatia wrote on May 20 that the ride showed him both Old Delhi’s appeal and its sanitation problems, according to the X post cited in the source briefings. (x.com) The most pointed line in the briefing attributes to him the phrase “constant smell of rotting produce and garbage,” alongside praise for the area’s history and architecture. The May 20 thread also included cycling photos, the source briefings said, and was published from Bhatia’s @sabeer account. (delhibybike.com) Because the X page did not render text in the tool output, the wording here relies on the cited briefing’s description of the post and the linked thread’s availability. ### Why was Chandni Chowk central to the complaint? Chandni Chowk is one of Old Delhi’s best-known commercial and heritage districts, and it appears on multiple guided cycling itineraries for the area. (x.com) Tour listings describe it as part of routes that also include Jama Masjid, Red Fort, Chawri Bazaar and Khari Baoli, placing riders directly in the market streets Bhatia was discussing. Delhi-based cycling and travel listings also present early-morning rides as a way to experience the city before full daytime congestion. That framing helps explain why a complaint about street waste and odor would be especially noticeable during a bicycle tour built around close-up street-level access. ### Was this an isolated complaint or part of a broader pattern? January 2026 posts and follow-up reports had already focused attention on littering in Chandni Chowk. Hindustan Times and Indian Express each reported on a cyclist’s video showing garbage scattered around roadside bins in the area, with the rider questioning public civic behavior despite the presence of dustbins. (tripadvisor.com) (delhibybike.com) Those earlier reports did not involve Bhatia, but they show that cleanliness in Chandni Chowk had already become a recurring social-media subject months before his May 20 post. In both reports, the complaint centered on visible waste in a high-profile heritage market used by residents, traders and visitors. ### What was Bhatia asking people to do? Bhatia used the post to urge civic action, according to the social briefing prepared from the thread. (hindustantimes.com) The briefing said he argued that the condition of the streets required responsibility that went beyond government action alone. That appeal matched the language used in earlier Chandni Chowk cleanliness posts, where criticism focused not only on municipal services but also on how people used — or failed to use — public bins. Hindustan Times reported in January that a cyclist’s video faulted littering despite dustbins being present. (hindustantimes.com) ### Where can readers see the post now? The May 20 thread is on Sabeer Bhatia’s X account under the post linked in the source briefings. (x.com) The same thread is described as containing the cycling photos referenced in the post about Old Delhi and Chandni Chowk. As of May 21, the linked X post remained the central public record of Bhatia’s remarks, and the surrounding debate continued to draw on Old Delhi’s mix of heritage tourism and sanitation complaints. (x.com) (hindustantimes.com)