Look, driving an auto-rickshaw isn’t just about turning a meter and pulling a paycheck for Suraj Tiwari. Those three wheels are literally the only thing keeping his real dream alive.Suraj packed up his life in Amethi and moved down to Lucknow back in December. He had the degree, he had the drive, and he was completely ready to start fresh as a full-time school teacher. But, as it so often goes, life slapped him with a heavy dose of reality the second he got there.Fast forward to today: he’s navigating Lucknow’s crazy traffic behind the wheel of a Rapido auto just to pay rent and keep food on the table. But the second he drops off a passenger or gets a quick breather between rides, out come the study guides. He’s grinding non-stop for the Super TET (Super Teacher Eligibility Test), absolutely refusing to let his current situation pull the plug on his actual ambition.His story ended up exploding online after a passenger named Mallika Agrawal posted a quick video of their chat on Instagram.
‘I Came to Teach, But Breaking In Was Brutal’
In the clip, Suraj gets super real about how he ended up in the driver’s seat instead of in front of a blackboard.He shared that he originally moved to Lucknow aiming for a primary teaching position at a private CBSE school. But landing a job was way tougher than he anticipated. According to Suraj, most local schools were heavily leaning toward hiring female teachers for primary grades, leaving him with basically zero openings.With bills piling up every single month, sitting around doing nothing wasn’t an option. So he adapted, signed up with Rapido, and hit the road.Still, he hasn’t let go of his main goal for even a fraction of a second.Talking about his daily hustle in the video, Suraj said:“I am from Amethi and have been living in Lucknow since last December. I came here thinking I would get a teacher’s job in a CBSE school, but it wasn’t easy. In most schools, women work in primary teaching, and that’s why I couldn’t get a job. Out of compulsion, I am driving an auto on Rapido. But I have not given up on my dream. I continue my studies whenever I get time.”
‘Dropping People Off While Chasing His Own Stop’
Mallika was genuinely moved by Suraj’s quiet resilience during what started as just a routine commute. Captioning the clip, she noted how the absolute best stories don’t come from self-help books or polished online videos—they usually hit you out of nowhere through regular people pushing through tough breaks.She summed up his whole daily grind with a line that hit people hard: “While he’s helping people reach their destinations, he’s working towards reaching his own.”She wrapped up her post wishing him the absolute best, hoping an actual school board notices his insane work ethic soon.
The Internet Is Massively Rooting for Him
The video struck a huge chord with viewers, and the comment section immediately turned into a massive cheering squad for Suraj.One user called it the single most meaningful video they’d seen all week. Another pointed out how you could see both the heavy toll of the hustle and a sharp, fire-in-the-belly determination right in his eyes.A lot of people connected with his story because it highlights a reality so many face – life rarely goes in a neat straight line. Sometimes you have to take a completely different path, take whatever job keeps the lights on, and keep pushing forward in silence.Suraj’s journey is a solid reminder that driving an auto to make ends meet isn’t giving up – it’s just part of the hustle.For now, he’s still out there navigating Lucknow’s streets by day and grinding over textbooks by night. His dream classroom is still out there waiting for him. And if the internet has anything to say about it, he’ll be picking up a piece of chalk very soon.
