A recent thread on X has gone viral, with users sharing touching stories of how strangers in Mumbai extended acts of kindness that turned challenging situations into memorable experiences.
The thread was sparked by user @yappy_hour, who recounted how several Mumbaikars helped her navigate the city during an eight-hour layover.
In her post, she described meeting a friendly local girl on a train who quickly became her "unofficial tour guide," helping her with street shopping and booking local train tickets. When she got lost on the Mumbai local, another woman not only helped her find her stop at Andheri station but also assisted her in booking a metro ticket and guided her to the platform.
The story didn’t end there. Struggling to find an affordable ride to the airport, another kind stranger stepped in. "An uncle saw I was lost and bargained with the auto driver to take me to the airport for ₹40 instead of ₹150. He even accompanied me to the airport and bought me coffee, celebrating the fact that his son had finally called him after eight years," she shared.
Her post prompted a flood of responses, with others recounting similar experiences of Mumbai’s warmth and generosity. One user explained, "Middle-class Mumbai faces daily struggles, so we instinctively offer help - whether it's giving directions or paying for a bus ticket."
Others shared personal stories of Mumbaikars going out of their way to assist. One person recalled losing his wallet on a train, only to have a stranger find and return it the next day. Another remembered being new to the city and relying on a stranger's power bank to charge his phone during heavy rains, with the person trusting him to return it later.
Even decades-old memories resurfaced, with one user reminiscing about how locals walked extra distances to show him directions when he first moved from Delhi to Mumbai.