You might have seen a 78-year-old man at Delhi's Rajiv Chowk metro station. But you did not know his story

The fast-paced world demands that we be busy bees. Typically, our mornings begin in a daze as we brush past familiar sights on the streets, almost on autopilot. In our rush, we often miss spotting the balloon seller, perhaps, standing at the same spot every day with a melancholy face, or an elderly woman running an almost ruined eatery with barely any customers. But Kolkata-based digital creator Aradhana Chatterjee has been making a positive impact in bringing out untold stories of people facing everyday hurdles. One such story that deserves to reach many is about 78-year-old Dharampal Dhingra, a man who sits with a weighing scale. While it is easy to ignore their tired eyes or the quiet resilience, what we should appreciate is their courage and determination to keep showing up daily.

According to the video posted by Aradhana Chatterjee on Instagram, the elderly man sits near Delhi’s Rajiv Chowk metro station, gate number 6, every day from 11 am to 5 pm, waiting for passersby to measure their weight on the machine. His inspiring story only reinforces the idea that age is just a number.

78-year-old vendor chooses dignity over dependence

According to Aradhana Chatterjee, Dharampal Dhingra has been working as a weighing scale operator for the last 3 years, in the same spot at Delhi’s popular hub Connaught Place. But this was not his only job, as the elderly man had previously worked as a security guard and ice cream vendor, too, among other things. What takes him on the street, even at 78, is his wish to be independent.


Dharampal Dhingra’s son lives in Pune and he sometimes visits the city to live with his child. But since the old man keeps returning to the National Capital, driven by the urge to earn his own living. As per Aradhana Chatterjee’s interaction with him, Dharampal Dhingra lives in a small rented room in Matiala. He takes the metro in the first thing in the morning and sits in the location, earning about Rs 250 every day. The content creator revealed that the elderly man loves to talk with strangers and urged everyone to take a moment and have a brief interaction with him.

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A post shared by Aradhana Chatterjee (@storiesbyaradhana)

Internet reacts to viral post

The post touched the hearts of many. Lauding Aradhana Chatterjee’s initiative, a user called her work deeply ‘inspiring’, promising that they would definitely take some time out to greet people like Dharampal Dhingra. ‘Seeing this made me realise how small my worries are,’ noted another. An individual revealed that the video made them truly ‘emotional’. One person said that they would help the elderly man with ration if he accepts it.

Aradhana Chatterjee, an alumnus of the University of Calcutta, runs her Instagram account titled ‘Stories by Aradhana’, boasting 261k followers. She started her career in modelling in college and even featured in a viral advertisement, but later moved to sharing people-focused stories.