When you think of any major Indian city, which part of it is usually considered the most posh? Think of Delhi, Mumbai or Kolkata, and you will find the answer.
It’s something that has been noticed several times over the years that in most major metropolitan cities of the country, the southern parts seem to draw the wealth, the prestige and the highest real-estate prices.
Just look at places such as South Mumbai, South Delhi and South Kolkata, and you will see the pattern. Or if it is not South, then it’s the Western part of the city that is raking up all the elite points.
A recent LinkedIn post has brought the topic back to the forefront, asking why the “south” or “west” sections of Indian cities are considered posher than the rest.
What Did The LinkedIn Post Say?
Around two weeks ago, MarkitUp cofounder Saransh Anand posted a LinkedIn post asking, “Ever noticed how in most Indian cities, the south and west sides are the posh ones?”
He went on to write how “South Delhi. South Mumbai. South Kolkata. West Pune. It’s almost like the compass decides the rent.”
According to Anand, the reason behind it might have something to do with the colonial era. Anand wrote, “Turns out, there’s an old reason behind it, something urban historians call the ‘Colonial Winds Theory.’
During British rule, when many Indian cities were being planned, the British were obsessed with hygiene and air quality.
And India’s prevailing winds (especially during the monsoon) blow from the southwest toward the northeast.
That meant:
- The south and west parts of a city got fresh, clean air coming in.
- The north and east got the polluted, humid air moving out.
So, the British, being very particular about comfort, built their homes and “civil lines” upwind (south & west), and left the downwind (north & east) sides for markets, factories, and local settlements.
And today, a century later, those same “upwind” neighbourhoods have become the modern-day posh areas. Better infrastructure has followed the money, and the pattern has sustained itself.
But here’s the catch: wind direction isn’t the only reason.
However, the same rule does not apply everywhere. Infrastructure, topography, and business growth played a bigger role post-independence, and in cities like Bangalore or Hyderabad, the “south = rich” logic has more to do with new development than colonial wind.”
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This is a topic that has been discussed quite often.
Content creator CA Sarthak Ahuja in a video posted on May 10, 2025 on his Instagam page talked about how “Historically, during the Industrial Revolution, when the Europeans started building factories, due to the winds blowing from the West to the East, the air pollution and smoke would get carried Eastwards, and thus Eastern parts of the city started becoming more polluted and thus cheaper.
Those who could afford better would live westwards of the factories such that they would get cleaner air, and these areas developed better because of this wealth divide.”
Talking about India, he explained, “The West of the country does better than the East, and the South does better than the North… And this started because of international trade and how practically all of it happened at ports in the South West with the British and other Western economies.
This is also the reason South Bombay is more developed because, as a peninsular city, the South is where the British entered and started building the city Northwards.
And when the British designed Delhi and Kolkata, they tried to build them from the centre, but the rivers Yamuna as well as Hooghly became naturally occurring divides and the focus of the developers was West to East, again giving the West and South a priority over East and North.”
In the case of South Mumbai, a May 2022 Mint report described how “South Mumbai has become India’s hub of style and luxury… The rush of designer stores, art galleries and eateries has turned SoBo into an uber-chic destination.”
This suggests that, beyond real estate and geography, lifestyle amenities and brand culture reinforce the status of southern zones.
Image Credits: Google Images
Sources: Business Today, The Hindu, TOI
Find the blogger: @chirali_08
This post is tagged under: Delhi, south Delhi, south mumbai, south kolkata, west pune, pune, south west, south west most posh, posh cities, posh part of cities, indian cities, colonial era, colonial india, british, british india
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