A distressing incident aboard the Delhi Metro’s Blue Line has ignited a conversation about social responsibility and manners after a woman reported being subjected to repeated racist remarks from a young child. The victim shared her experience on Reddit, drawing attention to the troubling behaviour and the apparent indifference of the child’s mother.
The woman described how she offered part of her seat to an 8-9-year-old girl at the request of the child’s mother, who cited her daughter’s tantrums.
However, the situation quickly escalated when the child began to chant derogatory phrases, including “cHiNki ChiNeSe chInKi ChInEse,” as soon as they boarded the train. Initially dismissing the comments, the woman found the slurs became increasingly audible once the child sat next to her.
“I was in the women’s coach, and everybody was staring at me as if I did something wrong. I was very embarrassed,” the woman recounted. She expressed disappointment that the child’s mother remained oblivious to the situation, engrossed in her phone while her daughter continued the verbal harassment.
Choosing not to confront the child or her mother for fear of escalating the situation, the victim stated, “I didn’t want to pick a fight with a little brat with no manners. My whole day was ruined because of it.”
Reflecting on the incident, the woman voiced her frustration over the normalisation of such behaviour in society, stating, “It’s not my fault that I look like this. It’s not even my first time facing racism, but a literal child passing comments to a stranger—that’s such a NO NO NO!”
She criticised the mother’s inaction, emphasizing the importance of teaching children basic manners. “Mind you, from their looks, they seemed very rich and educated, but nowadays, education doesn’t really justify manners,” she noted.
In her post, she urged parents and teenagers to instil better values in children to prevent similar incidents in the future. “If you are a parent or a teenager reading this, please teach some manners to your child so they wouldn’t pull this stuff on a random stranger,” she concluded.
The post has since garnered significant attention, with many users sharing their thoughts and personal experiences. One user shared, “Man I have seen someone call me moti (fat) and I called her back by saying tere baap ka khaati hu kya (I am not eating anything of your dad’s earnings). She had nothing to say and was actually shocked that I had a retort instead of accepting and being ashamed.”
Reactions ranged from support for the woman to suggestions on how to handle such situations in the future.
One commenter expressed frustration with the lack of accountability, saying, “You should have stomped on the mom’s foot when you got up,” while another shared a similar experience of confronting a rude child.