Honesty on the hills: Manali driver tracks down tourist to return Rs 4 lakh camera kit

A taxi driver in Manali has gone viral after returning a lost bag containing expensive camera gear to a tourist from Mumbai. Satish Kumar reportedly went out of his way to ensure the belongings reached their owner safely, a gesture that has won widespread admiration online for its honesty and integrity.

The story was shared on X by Nikhil Saini, in response to a post joking, “Perks of leaving India. Lose your MacBook and authorities will return it to you.” Saini highlighted that acts of honesty like Kumar’s occur in India as well, often quietly and without publicity.

In the viral video, the tourist recounts losing his bag during his trip to Manali. The bag contained valuable camera equipment, including a camera worth ₹4 lakh. The tourist expressed heartfelt gratitude to Kumar on camera, describing how the driver had gone out of his way, driving significant distances just to return the lost belongings safely.

 

 

 

 

Saini’s caption praised Kumar’s actions: “Indians don’t believe in exaggerating nor do we have a culture of loud PR, yet real heroes walk among us. Last month, Satish Kumar found a bag with costly camera gear and drove all the way just to return it to the tourist.”

The video quickly went viral, sparking reactions from social media users. Many expressed amazement at the honesty displayed, reflecting on the contrast between the actions of ordinary citizens and government authorities. One user wrote, “This… precisely this kind of people & experiences make me wonder how mysterious India actually is. On one hand there are government officials who only exist to loot, and on the other hand, there are many middle-class folks who are this honest. Amazing!!”

Others highlighted that such acts happen often but quietly: “These kinds of incidents we see more often in India… but we don’t show off.” Some added nuance to the debate on authorities versus individual integrity: “Actually, there are many perspectives to a particular statement. This happens once in a blue moon and that too by some good human with moral ethics intact. She is justifying the role of authorities, which is zero here!”