Auto driver earns ₹75,000/month but struggles with ₹1.4 lakh school fees, video goes viral

An auto driver’s candid breakdown of his monthly finances has struck a chord online, revealing how he spends ₹1.4 lakh a year on his daughter’s schooling despite earning around ₹75,000 a month — and often ending up with no savings.

In a viral video shared on social media, the driver tells a passenger that he works all seven days of the week, averaging about ₹2,500 a day to reach his monthly income. When asked about his family, he says he has a daughter and adds, “Main padha-likha nahi hoon (I am not educated), I have put her in a good school.” He reveals that her annual school fees alone amount to ₹1.4 lakh, or roughly ₹11,600 a month, besides other education-related costs.

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The driver outlines his daily and monthly outgoings in detail. He spends ₹400-500 a day on fuel, around ₹400 towards his auto EMI, and about ₹200 on tea, coffee and meals. Another ₹300 goes into household groceries, while ₹200 is kept aside for punctures and other unexpected vehicle expenses. On top of this, he pays ₹12,000 a month as house rent.

After accounting for all these commitments, he says he is left with virtually no savings by month-end. “Sometimes I have to borrow money to manage expenses,” he admits in the clip, highlighting how high education costs can strain even relatively higher-earning gig workers.

Praise and a debate on education costs

The story has drawn widespread admiration for the father’s determination to secure a better future for his child. At the same time, the video has sparked discussion about the rising cost of private schooling and whether such spending is sustainable for low-income families without a financial buffer.

The post prompted a series of responses on social media, mixing emotion with financial advice. An individual posted, “I think he can downshift the school expenses and invest 5-10k for his daughter so that he will not have to take out a loan for her college.”

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Another commented, “11k+ per month school fee.” A third expressed, “My father earned good money and I went to a school which was semi-government at 10 k fees per year. Today I'm a doctor. Idk why people are obsessed with outrageously high fees at schools, they aren't worth it.”

A fourth wrote, “The moment he says just one daughter and he does everything he can for her, it melted me. Hope this man gets more and more love.”