Gurugram: A LinkedIn post about a Swiggy delivery agent taking his two-year-old daughter along while making his rounds has taken social media by storm. The post was shared by one Mayank Agarwal of Gurugram who received a call from the delivery agent after ordering food.
Agarwal said that he was about to ask the agent to deliver the food to his doorstep when he heard a child’s voice and went downstairs to check. There he found a toddler seated on the motorcycle of the delivery man, who has been identified as Pankaj by Hindustan Times.
On being asked, Pankaj said that there is nobody to look after the child at home. Her mother passed away during childbirth and his son leaves for evening classes. The delivery agent apparently told Agarwal of how shoddily some customers treat him if he requests them to walk a few steps to collect their food.
“Sit at home if you can’t manage. It is your problem that you have a toddler,” many customers have said. Pankaj does not complain though. He bears all with a quiet smile.
The incident highlights the tough life for gig workers who race against time to earn a few more rupees. There have been mixed comments from Netizens. Most have given Pankaj a thumbs-up for taking care of his family, while others have expressed concern for the child. Some have pointed out that companies should have facilities like creches for single parents.
A user wrote: “Women have been doing this for ages without any post dedicated to them…kudos to this man and the millions of women who do this day in and day out without featuring anywhere!”
Another one states: “This is deeply moving. A little institutional empathy can go a long way in changing lives. I’ve been privy to both sides of this world where delivery partners act extremely unprofessionally and some genuine gems that actually deserve a lot more than what they are entitled to, it’s a hard ship to navigate.”
“I have seen the same with house helps. Sad part is not everyone treats them with the dignity they deserve. In many ways they are better than most of us. Governments, and we as a society at large, have failed them,” another netizen reacted.
