Mumbai: A viral Reddit post featuring a man, probably a beggar, reading a Sidney Sheldon novel while smoking a beedi on a city roadside has sparked a wide-ranging and polarised discussion online, with users divided between admiration, humour and criticism over what some perceive as an unnecessary romanticisation of hardship.
The post, titled “A beedi in one hand and Sidney Sheldon in the other – Mumbai for you”, was shared on the r/Mumbai subreddit six days ago. The image shows a beggar reclining on a stack of discarded mattresses placed beside a road divider at an unidentified location in the city. With vehicles parked nearby and traffic moving around him, the man appears unfazed as he reads a Sidney Sheldon book in one hand while holding a beedi in the other.
The photograph quickly drew attention, prompting a mix of light-hearted and reflective responses. One user, Raza Karr, commented, “This guy lives near my home, and I often see him carrying books by well-known authors; all he does is drink and read.”
Responding to this, another user, KamalTheCoder, remarked, “Drink and Read is better than Drink and Drive,”
On the other hand EstimateWonderful33 commented in Hindi, “Padhne wale kahi bhi padh lete he” (Readers can read anywhere).
However, not all reactions were humorous. Several users pushed back against what they felt was an attempt to frame the image as emblematic of the so-called “Spirit of Mumbai.”
User DisciplineOk3328 clarified, “To those saying that I’m calling this the 'spirit of Mumbai' or romanticising it, nowhere in my post have I said that. I’ve simply described what’s visible in the photograph and mentioned that it was taken in Mumbai. Nothing more has been implied. Since it was something strange and unique, I shared it here.”
Others used the post to highlight systemic issues around homelessness and urban inequality. Financial-Emotion316 commented, “Government should make more shelters. People don’t deserve to live like this. Why are we giving so much tax every year, for people to struggle like this?”
While the image has amused many and drawn praise for the man’s apparent love for reading despite his circumstances, it has also reignited uncomfortable questions about living conditions, access to housing and the realities faced by those pushed to the margins in India’s financial capital.
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