‘Sone de bhai, garmi ho rahi hai’: Elderly man sleeping in Delhi Metro triggers wave of empathy

A Delhi man’s social media post has gone viral, not for outrage, but for the surprising wave of empathy it triggered. The user shared a photo of an elderly man sleeping on the floor of a Delhi Metro train in front of him. In his post, the anonymous user explained that after boarding the train, the elderly man briefly woke up and asked him to wake him up when his station arrives.

The man replied by telling him that he was getting down on the next station but the old traveller just repeated the same request, spread a cloth on the floor and went back to sleep.

The man was unsure whether the elderly passenger’s behaviour was acceptable and asked the internet if he should have done something. Responding to his post, many users came out in defence of the elderly man.

Internet reacts

“Sone de bhai, budha aadmi hai. Garmi bhi itni ho rahi hai,” (Let him sleep, brother. He is old. The heat is brutal), one commenter wrote, highlighting the relentless Delhi summer that can drain anyone.

Another user remarked: “We keep talking about civic sense, but forget that being ‘civilised’ is often a privilege that comes with wealth and comfort. He probably doesn’t have AC at home and is just trying to get some rest.”

Many agreed that while the Metro has rules, there was no harm in letting a tired old man catch some sleep as long as he wasn’t disturbing anyone. “He’s not spitting, not harassing, not creating a scene. He’s just tired. That’s it. Sometimes, empathy matters more than rules,” said a third user wrote.

“Civic sense ke chakkar mein empathy bhool gaye” (In chasing civic sense, we’ve forgotten empathy),” reminded a fourth user.

(Also read: Desi ‘uncles’ turn metro into a retro karaoke lounge, viral video divides internet)