Help is pouring in for an auto rickshaw driver in Mumbai whose heart-wrenching story was shared by 'Humans of Bombay' on their Facebook page.
Social media, if used in a proper manner can do wonders. Time and again this has been proved right. Hence it can also be termed as necessary evil. Help is pouring in for an auto rickshaw driver in Mumbai whose heart-wrenching story was shared by 'Humans of Bombay' on their Facebook page on Thursday.
'Humans of Bombay' took interview of an auto rickshaw driver in Mumbai named Desraj, which was later shared on their Facebook page. In his interview Desraj said, "6 years ago, my oldest son disappeared from home, he left for work as usual but never returned. A week later, people found his dead body in an auto, he was just 40. A part of me died with him, but burdened by responsibilities, I didn’t even have the time to mourn-the next day, I was back on the road, driving my auto."
Two years later, he lost his other son to suicide. While driving auto he got a call, "Your son's body has been found on platform number 4, 'suicide kar liya hai usne'."
"It was the responsibility of my daughter-in-law and their four children that kept me going," said Desraj.
To earn for the family, he started working longer hours, leaving home at 6am and driving his auto till midnight to earn around Rs 10,000 a month. Of this amount, Rs 6,000 went into paying for the education of his grandchildren, leaving Rs 4,000 to feed a family of seven.
"On most days, we'd barely have anything to eat," says Mr Desraj.
However, he says, everything was worth it when his granddaughter scored 80% in her Class 12 Board Exams. The whole day, he gave free rides to customers to celebrate her achievement.
But when his granddaughter said that she wanted to travel to Delhi for a B.Ed course, Desraj knew he wouldn't be able to afford it. "But I had to fulfill her dreams at any cost. So, I sold our house and paid her fee," he said.
He then sent his wife, daughter-in-law and other grandchildren to their relatives' home in their village, while he himself continued staying in Mumbai without a roof.
It's been a year that he eats and sleeps in his auto and during the daytime, he ferries his passengers.
Apparently, a proud grandfather in his interview says that all his pains vanish when his granddaughter calls him up to say that she stood first in her class.
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 "Story of Mumbai auto-rickshaw driver")
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