There are always two passengers in his auto rickshaw, although one of them is present only in a photograph 🥹.
Eight years ago, this driver from Bengaluru, India, lost his wife. Since then, he has found a small way to keep her present in his routine: every day he places her photograph inside the auto rickshaw, accompanies it with fresh flowers, and goes out to work.
The scene caught the attention of Sooraj S Kurup, who met the man during one of his trips and decided to share his story. When he spoke with him, he discovered that this was not something staged for the photograph, but a ritual that has been part of his days since she passed away.
The man has children and six grandchildren, but he continues traveling the streets of Bengaluru. According to what he said, staying busy also helps him cope with her absence, because when he stays at home, he ends up thinking about her too much.
Eight years have passed, his family has continued to grow, and life inevitably moved on. But every time he starts his auto rickshaw to begin a new day, she still has a place reserved beside him.
