Heartbreaking Story Of 80-Year-Old Man Selling Sweets After Being Abandoned By His Daughter Living In London

Old age is typically portrayed as the final stage of life, where individuals require peace, comfort, and care. People work hard all their lives for themselves and their family so that their children can serve them in their old age. However, these are just the positive as well as unrealistic things about old age. In reality, for most of the old people, this becomes the most trying phase of their existence. Rather than resting and being treated with dignity, they are neglected, left alone, and sometimes abandoned altogether.

The saddest truth is that those who once held their parents’ hands as children tend to turn their backs in adulthood. Something similar happened to an old man who recently went viral on social media. His heartbreaking story left everyone in deep thought about how life can be so cruel for those who actually need love and care.

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An elderly man selling sweets went viral on the Internet because of his heartbroken tale

Recently, on X, formerly on Twitter, a user named Dr. Mouth Matters posted a heartbreaking story of an old man who sells sweets on trains in Chennai after being abandoned by his own daughter, who is currently living in London.

On X, Dr. Mouth Matters wrote,

Polis, Sweets & Tears behind every bite. Today, my heart broke when I saw an 80-year-old got pushed into hardship. Abandoned by his own daughter who now lives in London, he has taken up selling sweets and polis on the busy trains of Chennai, to support himself and his wife.

Despite all hardships, he and his late-seventies wife chose not to give up. Every day, he enters hundreds of crowded trains to sell them, while his wife carefully makes polis and sweets at home. Speaking about this, the user wrote,

His wife, in her late 70s, lovingly prepares them at home, and he walks out with dignity to sell what her hands create. I tasted them—and believe me, they are pure, divine, and filled with love.

The user went on to ask people to buy not only his food but also his determination. The user concluded,

If you come across him, don’t just buy a sweet or a poli—buy his strength, his resilience, his unbroken spirit. And if you wish to support, please reach out to his contact number and place an order (In Chennai). Sometimes, the best food carries the weight of untold stories. Let’s not let our elders feel abandoned in their final years.

Have a look at the original post:

Polis, Sweets & Tears behind every bite ❤️ 😭 “Today, my heart broke when I saw an 80-year-old got pushed into hardship. Abandoned by his own daughter who now lives in London, he has taken up selling sweets and polis on the busy trains of Chennai, to support himself and his… pic.twitter.com/6wpuOzpwwk

— Dr Mouth Matters (@GanKanchi) September 9, 2025

How did netizens react to the incident?

Within no time, the above-mentioned went viral on social media and got more than 1 million views with more than 33,000 likes. In the comment section of the tweet, netizens responded with a combination of shock, sympathy, and admiration. Many were outraged at the daughter’s insensitivity and asked how a person could leave behind their own parent at this age when she was still young and needed their care.

1..Never compromise on your retirement savings even for your kids 2.Give them a good education and a place to live ..beyond which they will never appreciate the value and it’s not worth it

— sigmundmaharajan (@sigmundmaharaj1) September 10, 2025

Can’t all our AI find out his daughter. She needs to be named and shamed for her ungrateful and heartless act.

— PARTHA ROY 🇮🇳 (@PARTHAR83068987) September 10, 2025

And we still want children?

— Sonali (@shahsona27) September 10, 2025

Hope His daughter is also having children and they will also abandon her at some time

— Kumar (@kumar_x68) September 10, 2025

@annamalai_k kindly consider looking into this sir. It’s a testament to the senior citizen’s dignity, grit and tenacity to earn a livelihood despite the advanced age. But as a society, I don’t think our seniors should experience such hardships.

— Akash (@SurrealSaka) September 9, 2025

Share this widely so it reaches his daughter and she lives with the weight of self-humiliation. Never ever leave your parents alone. 😑

— Shekhar M. (@csmohadikar) September 10, 2025

Meanwhile, thousands of users gave respect and admiration to the elderly pair for their dignity, resilience, and determination to make a living in spite of adversity.

We may not be perfect, but we have sufficient awareness to accept the responsibility of looking after our parents as they grow older.

— Shourajit Saikia (@ShourajitSaikia) September 10, 2025

This is so heartbreaking yet inspiring. Elders like him deserve care, dignity, and love not abandonment. Every sweet he sells carries a story of sacrifice and resilience. We as a society must step up, support such people, and ensure no parent ever feels unwanted. Respect and…

— Gaurav Khanna Fans (@GauravKhannaFP) September 11, 2025

So kind of you. The present situation of the this gentleman shows two faces of life. 1. His intention to live a dignified life, on his own. 2. The cruel or the attitude of his son (though we do not know what is the reason).
In middle class society, parents struggle to send their…

— Nagesh VN (@Nagesh_VN) September 10, 2025

Some volunteers offered to provide assistance by going to the sweet shop and boosting the story so they get customers, and others promised monetary aid.

We could all contribute monthly to help them if someone local could set up a UPI ID. My dad passed away in 2023 at 89 and I miss him so badly. I would love to help this gentleman.

— 🎗️🧡 Vidya 🌟 (@vidya571) September 9, 2025

Many here talking about phone number is not linked to @upi

If really keen on extending hand just call them made an order & get it delivered at your door steps by paying including delivery Charges.

Helps him to avoid travelling.

Not financial assistance.

Let live with dignity.

— Lakshmi Narayanan Sharma (@laxminarayan_23) September 9, 2025

What if that number in picture be edited by someone and UPI payments go to him instead of this person. Everyone should cross check and only then help.

— RASASVIKA (@RasasVika_) September 9, 2025

Thank you for bringing this to public attention. There are millions of people like this everyday but we have a chance to help this man out at this moment.
But before that, a video with him would help with the verification of his story. Idk if it’s possible, but it helps verify.

— elitedangerous (@elite_ajax001) September 10, 2025

As of now, Dr. Mouth Matters, who posted this story on X, hasn’t shared any update regarding this elderly man. However, in his recent post, he did share that he is getting input about an elderly man’s whereabouts. He will share the update as soon as he learns something about them.

The phone is unattended and I am getting inputs about his whereabouts hopefully will be able to trace and help him. Will update once we find him. Thank you all for your thoughts and intentions. https://t.co/XLenl6H1G7

— Dr Mouth Matters (@GanKanchi) September 10, 2025

Nevertheless, the outpouring reaction that the old man’s story got underscored both the profound dismay over the neglected children and the shared sympathy of strangers to offer themselves as a support system.

What do you think about such stories? Do share your thoughts with us in the comment section of this article.