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Journalism of Courage
Vir Das, the most famous English-language stand-up comedian in India, recently posted a moving story on Instagram about meeting an Indian driver in San Jose, California, United States of America.
The journey began when the driver picked Das from the airport. “Nice guy. Not a great driver,” Vir candidly noted, writing that the man seemed new behind the wheel. Recalling the interaction, Vir mentioned how he likes to connect with Indians abroad by speaking in Hindi, offering both parties a brief escape from homesickness.
The conversation quickly grew deeper and the man turned out to be a brilliant mind—an IIT Mumbai graduate with a PhD, now driving to make ends meet after being laid off from his job as a scientist. “Tasalli nahin hai (There’s no solace), you can never fully relax,” the driver confessed, capturing the constant unease of chasing a livelihood in a foreign land.
In his Instagram post, Das said that as the journey ended, they shook hands and he wished the driver well saying: “I hope you get to use all of your amazing brain soon. I know firsthand it’s heartbreaking to feel like you are more than what you’re doing, and I hope you get to relax soon.”
See the post:
The post has garnered almost 20,000 likes, and numerous users have shared their reactions in the comments.
One user wrote, “The worst feeling is when you know you are more than what you are doing but what you are doing makes you believe otherwise.” Another user commented, “So heartwarming and heart-breaking to have read this.”
A third user wrote, “Even if he wasn’t an iitian or PhD…. Tasalli … universal seeking.”
Vir Das is on a world tour with his “Mind Fool” act. His last show was on November 14 in San Jose.
