Viral video of Kolkata’s 80-year-old taxi driver sparks conversation on elderly financial security

A video about 80-year-old Kolkata taxi driver Rabindranath Sarkar has sparked online conversation about financial security for elderly workers in India, after content creator Chaitali Bose shared his story with thousands of viewers.

Sarkar has driven taxis for more than five decades and still works nearly 16-hour days, starting around 6 am and sometimes not returning home until 11 pm, according to Bose. The taxi he drives is rented, meaning he must pay a fixed amount to its owner regardless of how many passengers he picks up on a given day.

He and his 67-year-old wife live in a small tin-roofed house near the railway tracks in Dum Dum, without children to support them, relying entirely on his daily earnings for food and medicine. Both face health challenges — Sarkar has chronic asthma and his wife has a heart condition — yet neither retirement nor reduced hours appears to be a realistic option.

Reactions to the video have ranged from admiration for Sarkar’s continued dignity and generosity — he reportedly lets passengers pay what they consider fair — to pointed questions about whether India’s social security system adequately supports elderly citizens who have worked honestly their whole lives.