During heavy rains in Gurugram, a woman’s six-kilometre commute took over four and a half hours, an experience she detailed in a viral LinkedIn post. Amidst the traffic and waterlogging, she highlighted the small acts of kindness from strangers, including her Rapido driver, which made the exhausting journey more bearable.
Heavy rain brought parts of Gurugram to a standstill, turning even short trips into long journeys. For one woman, travelling just six kilometres took more than four and a half hours. While the traffic and waterlogging made the commute exhausting, she said small acts of kindness from strangers made the difficult journey easier. She later shared her experience in a LinkedIn post.
Mandakini Singh, Head of Marketing at Nat Habit, wrote that it took her “4 hours 32 minutes to reach home from office.” She explained that she was travelling within Gurugram, not between cities.
“Felt like one of the characters of a video game (with Mario sound in background), how to get the most points, reach destination 1, change strategy, reach destination 2, take more ammunition and skills and then finally home!” was how she described the experience. “While infrastructure, high tax payments, and governance are topics for another day,” she continued. “This was humanity’s day!”
Singh claims to have witnessed a mother and her daughter serving tea and buns to stranded passengers next to her office. Additionally, she observed a number of two-wheeler riders assisting others in navigating flooded roadways.
She wrote, “Heard songs – Haryanvi, Bhojpuri, and Punjabi, saw chain smokers butting out their whole expensive lot— saw men and women calling their well-placed family members – bahut traffic hai bahut traffic – haan safe hai – pahunch jayenge… time lagega… tum jaldi nikalo.”
A Look At Viral Post
Towards the end of her post, Singh thanked her Rapido driver, who asked her not to cancel the ride even though the app showed a 42-minute wait. The story also started a discussion online.
Many people also appreciated the driver’s effort. One user wrote, “One big like for the driver who took the pain to call and ensure that he will not abandon the passenger.”
One user wrote, “Honestly, isn’t this just the new normal in Gurugram? Every rain, every single time, so many people complain about the same thing, but nothing has changed. After spending 10 years of my career there, moving to Noida was one of the best decisions I’ve ever made.”