The scene is easy to miss if you’re rushing to work: an elderly man stepping into a crowded train compartment, carrying sweets such as boli and adhirasam. His name is Sri Ragavendra, he is 80 years old, and this is how he and his wife survive.
80-Year-Old Man Sells Sweets For Survival
Every morning, his wife, well into her seventies, kneads the dough, rolls the polis, and fries the adhirasams. He carries them into the local trains, selling each boli for ₹25 a pair, each adhirasam for ₹10. A printed pamphlet doubles up as both a menu and a business card. His wife stays home, and he does the selling. Their daughter, once the centre of their sacrifices, now lives in London. According to a viral post, she has left them behind.
This story burst into public view after a Chennai-based user, @DrMouthMatters, posted about meeting him on X (formerly Twitter). “I tasted them- pure, divine, and filled with love,” the user wrote. “If you come across him, don’t just buy a sweet, buy his resilience, his unbroken spirit.” That post has since crossed 8.8 lakh views and over 600 comments, transforming a chance encounter into a national talking point.
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A Flood Of Reactions
The internet didn’t just scroll past. Comments poured in; they were angry, tender and restless. One person wrote: “These aren’t just sweets, they’re survival. Every bite carries pain and pride.” Another voice cut through the sentiment with a warning: “Don’t blow up his phone. Instead, find his route so help can actually reach him.”
Others asked the most practical question of all: “Where is his UPI?” The thread filled with people eager to send money, buy in bulk, or simply find a way to stand beside him.
Yet hidden among the empathy were sharp reminders: “Parents, never gamble your retirement on children. Give them education, not your last safety net.”
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Sweets Selling Incident By 80-Year-Old Man Sparks Larger Questions
What makes Ragavendra’s boli more than a sweet is the conversation it has sparked. India is ageing, and by 2050, nearly one-fifth of the population will be over 60. But unlike in countries with robust social safety nets, most Indian elders depend on family. And when family moves away or turns away, what remains?
The Maintenance and Welfare of Parents Act, 2007, legally obliges children to support their parents, but the lived reality is far murkier. Stories like Ragavendra’s crack open the silence around elder neglect, forcing uncomfortable questions about migration, money, and morality.
And so, his walk through Chennai’s trains is no longer just his own. Every time he steps into a compartment, pamphlet in hand, he is carrying more than boli and adhirasam. He is carrying the weight of a generation, wondering if their children will remember them when they, too, grow old.
Cover Image Courtesy: gankachi/X