Man calls Vande Bharat journey from Chennai to Bengaluru ‘the worst’: Kids kept kicking him as parents 'stayed silent'

Ajay Kumar shared how his Vande Bharat trip became his ‘worst journey’ after alleged disturbance by children onboard.

Train journeys often create memorable experiences, but for Ajay Kumar, a recent trip on the Mysore Vande Bharat Express turned into what he described as the “worst train journey experience” of his life. Taking to X on May 29, Ajay shared a detailed post about his uncomfortable travel experience from Chennai to Bengaluru, blaming careless parenting and poor onboard experience for ruining his journey.

Man calls out parents for ignoring kids' disruptive behaviour on train. (AI generated image )

Man’s ‘worst train journey experience’ on Vande Bharat

“I recently travelled from Chennai to Bengaluru in the Mysore Vande Bharat Express… and honestly, it turned out to be the worst train journey experience of my life,” Ajay wrote in his post.

According to Ajay, he was seated by the window, next to a 3-4-year-old child travelling with his father. Throughout the journey, the child allegedly kept kicking him, falling on him and even nearly spilling his tea during one instance. Ajay said what frustrated him the most was that the child’s father “stayed completely silent the entire time” and made no effort to intervene. “And that wasn’t even the most frustrating part,” he added.

Ajay further claimed that another child seated in front of him repeatedly pushed the seat backwards “like it was some sort of game,” making it difficult for him to work on his laptop during the journey. “Multiple times the seat hit my knees so hard that my laptop almost shut close. Yet, even his mother didn’t bother saying anything,” he wrote.

While clarifying that he has no issue with children enjoying train travel, Ajay stressed that parents should step in when their child’s behaviour starts disturbing fellow passengers.

“Overall, this journey completely ruined my mood,” Ajay concluded, adding that although he wanted to confront the parents, he ultimately chose to stay quiet out of disappointment.

Social media reacts, debate over parenting etiquette

The post quickly gained traction online, sparking a wider debate on parenting etiquette in public spaces. One user wrote, “Train journeys become stressful when parents ignore their kids’ behaviour and other passengers suffer silently.” Another added, “Kids enjoying a journey is completely fine, but when it starts disturbing others, parents stepping in makes a huge difference. Getting kicked repeatedly, struggling to work, and almost spilling tea would test anyone’s patience.”

Echoing similar sentiments, another comment read, “Brother, such incidents have become common now. Parents should keep an eye on the children, otherwise the journey is ruined.” One more user added, “Sorry to learn that you are a victim of ‘gentle parenting’ being done by that father of the kid! I too sometimes wonder how parents watch silently when their kids are harassing other people.”

'Lack of civic sense'

Another user pointed to a broader issue, writing, “Lack of civic sense, bro. Generally, people are selfish and least bothered about inconvenience caused to others due to their own acts and are ignorant of basic civic sense in public places. If one resists, it may turn into an ugly situation.”

Meanwhile, a contrasting viewpoint also emerged, with one user saying, “Forget kids! Adults lack civic sense. As a frequent traveller on Vande Bharat, there are always 2-3 large groups of passengers boarding early morning trains, fully ignorant of others around them, chattering loudly or watching videos on speaker, without realising people may be resting.”