A Gujarat-based man has shared a moving account of a late-night ride that revealed the quiet sacrifices made by working-class families.
“The kind of India we ignore,” read the title of the post shared on the r/India subreddit that has triggered conversations about struggles that often go unnoticed in everyday life.
In the post, the Reddit user recalled booking an auto past 11 pm after work and striking up a conversation with the driver, a man in his late 50s with a frail frame and weary eyes. When asked why he worked so late, the driver explained that his earnings were barely enough to cover fuel and rent, so he drove long hours to fund the education of his two daughters.
“Bhaiya, do betiyan hain. Ek ke liye coaching fees deni hai, doosri ke school ka kharcha. Raat ko chalata hoon taaki unki padhai na ruk jaye (I have two daughters. For one, I need to pay coaching fees, and for the other, school expenses. I drive at night so that their education doesn’t stop),” he said.
However, there was one line in particular during their conversation that revealed a hard truth of survival: “Gareeb aadmi sapne nahi dekhta apne liye, sirf apne bachon ke liye. Mere liye toh bas itna hai ki mujhe kal bhi chalane ki taaqat mile (A poor man never dreams for himself, only for his children. All I pray for is the strength to drive again tomorrow).”
Read the entire post here:
The post drew several responses from users, with many calling it both humbling and heartbreaking.
“Beautifully written! Thank you for sharing this,” a user said. Another wrote, “It’s a devastating statement about our state of affairs that a man has to break his back to educate his children.”
“I have these conversations almost every day with auto and cab drivers. Most of them are actually good, hardworking people,” one of users said.
The man concluded his post by saying that perhaps the greatest privilege is not wealth or status but simply the ability to dream for oneself – something denied to many who work silently to secure a better tomorrow for their children.
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