'He should consider anganwadis...': Mumbai auto driver rides with daughter sleeping behind passenger's seat; netizens react as video goes viral

'Her mother, my wife, passed away. I can't leave my daughter at home alone,' the auto driver expressed in the now-viral video.

Imagine taking an auto ride back home and then spotting a young girl sleeping quietly behind your seat. Wait—no rush to negative thoughts. The internet has instead come across something rather heartwarming: a story of an auto driver from Mumbai who takes his daughter along during his daily passenger trips. Being a single father, he chooses to ride the little one alongside customers over leaving her alone at home

Recently, when a passenger boarded this autorickshaw, he noticed a girl resting in the compartment behind the back seat and curiously asked the driver about it. Soon, the driver identified himself as a single parent who would often ride with his daughter, reportedly named Ayushi.

A video of this moment, now widely shared across social media platforms, shows the little girl curled up on the narrow space behind the passenger seat. She is fast asleep as the auto moves through the city.

Take a look at the video below

Seconds into the clip, the passenger is seen engaging in a kind gesture. He choses to make the trip special for the father-daughter duo. As the girl woke up mid-ride, he treated her with a juice.

He even struck a conversation with the auto driver-father. , only to learn that his wife was no more and he couldn't leave the daughter alone at his residence.

"Her mother, my wife, passed away. I can't leave my daughter at home alone. And if I stay home to look after her, it's hard for us to make a living. Since I'm a single parent now, I bring my daughter to work with me, letting her sleep in the auto," he expressed in the now-viral video.

The clip has since taken the internet by storm and turned out to be a shout-out to single parents. As the video went viral, netizens flooded the comments with praise.

Not everyone, however, saw the situation the same way. While praise and messages in support of single parents flooded the replies, some users urged the auto driver to explore better alternatives instead of having her accompany him throughout his working hours.

"You are taking her to the right school, learning People and learning life," wrote one user.

A section of commenters suggested options such as leaving the child with grandparents or other relatives, enrolling her at an anganwadi, or considering day-boarding schools. “There are other options like grandparents, brothers, sisters or relatives, anganwadis, and even day-boarding schools. He needs to explore them if possible. When we extend help to others, we also receive help,” a comment read.