“Papa used to walk to office to save Rs 5”: Man who went viral after getting his 80-year-old father on a Vande Bharat ride for the first time shares his full emotional story
ETimes | August 2, 2026 10:39 PM CST
For many Indian parents, love has never been expressed through expensive gifts or grand gestures. It has often looked like skipping small comforts, saving every rupee, and quietly putting their children's needs ahead of their own. A viral Instagram video is bringing that reality back into focus, and it has left millions emotional.
The video, shared by Shrikant on his Instagram page Bhukkhad Musafir, captures his father boarding the Vande Bharat Express for the very first time. The son walks beside his father on the railway platform, helps him onto the train, and watches as he settles into his window seat with the smile of someone experiencing a long-awaited dream.
The caption reads: "Papa experiencing Vande Bharat Ride." But it is the text appearing in the video that has resonated deeply with viewers. "Papa used to walk to his office just to save Rs 5 in rickshaw fare. Today, if I get the chance, I happily spend a little extra so I can give him the comfort he never experienced because he was always burdened with responsibilities."
A father who never spent on himself
The touching video is only one chapter of a much bigger story. Shrikant, who spent 13 years in the corporate world, revealed that life changed completely after a visit to his hometown, Ballia, during Holi in 2018. "For 13 years, I lived the typical corporate life, earning well. Then came March 2018. I went to my hometown, Ballia, just for a Holi visit. When I looked at Maa-Papa getting old, struggling to do daily chores, something inside me shifted. I realized they need me." he told Humans of Bombay.
He and his wife, Noopur, made a life-changing decision. "My wife, Noopur, and I decided to move back with my parents. But being a small town, there were no IT job prospects, so we started looking for business ideas." Before they could begin, the pandemic struck. Around the same time, the family suffered another devastating blow. "I lost my mother to stage 4 cancer."
He says, "I told Papa, 'There's no reason to live here anymore. Let's go back to Delhi.'" But his father had only one concern, his son's future. "Papa refused and said, 'Don't ruin your career for me. You guys go back.'" The son couldn't bring himself to leave. I had just lost my mother. I wasn't going to lose him too,” recalls Shrikant.
A casual wish that changed everything
One day, while travelling to Bir in Himachal Pradesh, the son video-called his father. During the conversation, his father casually mentioned that he too wished to travel someday. That was enough. "So, I booked his tickets."
Travelling wasn't easy. His father had severe spinal cord problems, and doctors had advised him against climbing stairs. "Papa had severe spinal cord issues; doctors had forbidden him from climbing stairs. We didn't know how his body would handle it, but we set out: first to Ram Mandir, then Neem Karoli Baba, and then Jagannath Puri."
The journey became much more than a vacation.
Discovering his father all over again
The son says travelling helped him meet a version of his father he had never known before. "On that trip, I saw a side of my father I never knew. At 80, a man who ate only basic milk-roti his whole life suddenly became a foodie trying local delicacies."
He also noticed his father's quiet curiosity. "While boating in Nainital, I caught him silently framing scenic shots." One moment, however, stayed with him forever. "When we reached the ocean at Puri, Papa bowed to the waves, touched the water, and placed it on his head," he recalls.
It wasn't just sightseeing. It was joy returning after years of loss. "For years, Papa lived with the pain of losing Mom and feeling left behind by life. But out on the road, the quiet wall between us simply collapsed."
The two began sharing conversations, meals and laughter that everyday life had quietly stolen. "We ate together, laughed at small things."
"My real job is to give him back his joy"
Looking back, the son says he realised something profound. "After losing Mom, I thought my job was just to protect him from the world." But seeing his father genuinely happy at the age of 80 changed his understanding of what caregiving really means. "Watching him smile freely at 80, I realized my real job was to give him back his joy, and I would continue doing it forever."
The now-viral Vande Bharat ride is simply another chapter in that promise.
The parenting lesson hidden in this viral story
Parents spend decades making invisible sacrifices that children often don't notice while growing up. A skipped rickshaw ride, a postponed holiday, wearing old clothes for another year, eating less so the family can eat better, these choices rarely become family conversations. They simply become a way of life.
This story reminds us that parenting doesn't stop at providing food, education or financial security. It is built on thousands of small sacrifices that children only begin to understand when they become adults themselves.
It also offers an important lesson for the next generation. Gratitude isn't always about buying expensive gifts. Sometimes it is about giving parents experiences they never allowed themselves to enjoy whether that's a train journey they never took, a holiday they kept postponing, or simply spending uninterrupted time together.
The video, shared by Shrikant on his Instagram page Bhukkhad Musafir, captures his father boarding the Vande Bharat Express for the very first time. The son walks beside his father on the railway platform, helps him onto the train, and watches as he settles into his window seat with the smile of someone experiencing a long-awaited dream.
The caption reads: "Papa experiencing Vande Bharat Ride." But it is the text appearing in the video that has resonated deeply with viewers. "Papa used to walk to his office just to save Rs 5 in rickshaw fare. Today, if I get the chance, I happily spend a little extra so I can give him the comfort he never experienced because he was always burdened with responsibilities."
A father who never spent on himself
The touching video is only one chapter of a much bigger story. Shrikant, who spent 13 years in the corporate world, revealed that life changed completely after a visit to his hometown, Ballia, during Holi in 2018. "For 13 years, I lived the typical corporate life, earning well. Then came March 2018. I went to my hometown, Ballia, just for a Holi visit. When I looked at Maa-Papa getting old, struggling to do daily chores, something inside me shifted. I realized they need me." he told Humans of Bombay.
He and his wife, Noopur, made a life-changing decision. "My wife, Noopur, and I decided to move back with my parents. But being a small town, there were no IT job prospects, so we started looking for business ideas." Before they could begin, the pandemic struck. Around the same time, the family suffered another devastating blow. "I lost my mother to stage 4 cancer."
He says, "I told Papa, 'There's no reason to live here anymore. Let's go back to Delhi.'" But his father had only one concern, his son's future. "Papa refused and said, 'Don't ruin your career for me. You guys go back.'" The son couldn't bring himself to leave. I had just lost my mother. I wasn't going to lose him too,” recalls Shrikant.
A casual wish that changed everything
One day, while travelling to Bir in Himachal Pradesh, the son video-called his father. During the conversation, his father casually mentioned that he too wished to travel someday. That was enough. "So, I booked his tickets."
Travelling wasn't easy. His father had severe spinal cord problems, and doctors had advised him against climbing stairs. "Papa had severe spinal cord issues; doctors had forbidden him from climbing stairs. We didn't know how his body would handle it, but we set out: first to Ram Mandir, then Neem Karoli Baba, and then Jagannath Puri."
The journey became much more than a vacation.
Discovering his father all over again
The son says travelling helped him meet a version of his father he had never known before. "On that trip, I saw a side of my father I never knew. At 80, a man who ate only basic milk-roti his whole life suddenly became a foodie trying local delicacies."
He also noticed his father's quiet curiosity. "While boating in Nainital, I caught him silently framing scenic shots." One moment, however, stayed with him forever. "When we reached the ocean at Puri, Papa bowed to the waves, touched the water, and placed it on his head," he recalls.
It wasn't just sightseeing. It was joy returning after years of loss. "For years, Papa lived with the pain of losing Mom and feeling left behind by life. But out on the road, the quiet wall between us simply collapsed."
The two began sharing conversations, meals and laughter that everyday life had quietly stolen. "We ate together, laughed at small things."
"My real job is to give him back his joy"
Looking back, the son says he realised something profound. "After losing Mom, I thought my job was just to protect him from the world." But seeing his father genuinely happy at the age of 80 changed his understanding of what caregiving really means. "Watching him smile freely at 80, I realized my real job was to give him back his joy, and I would continue doing it forever."
The now-viral Vande Bharat ride is simply another chapter in that promise.
The parenting lesson hidden in this viral story
Parents spend decades making invisible sacrifices that children often don't notice while growing up. A skipped rickshaw ride, a postponed holiday, wearing old clothes for another year, eating less so the family can eat better, these choices rarely become family conversations. They simply become a way of life.
This story reminds us that parenting doesn't stop at providing food, education or financial security. It is built on thousands of small sacrifices that children only begin to understand when they become adults themselves.
It also offers an important lesson for the next generation. Gratitude isn't always about buying expensive gifts. Sometimes it is about giving parents experiences they never allowed themselves to enjoy whether that's a train journey they never took, a holiday they kept postponing, or simply spending uninterrupted time together.
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