Chennai woman breaks down in front of traffic cop, shares the reason in viral post

India Today

08-07-2025

A Chennai-based woman, overwhelmed by life's pressures, broke down in tears when a traffic policeman asked her a simple, caring question while she was driving through the city.In a now-viral heartfelt post on LinkedIn, Janani Porkodi, founder of a Chennai-based company, shared how a brief encounter with a traffic cop became a moment of clarity in her stressful week."Last week, I broke down in front of a traffic cop. I was driving, overwhelmed and stressed beyond words. One thing after another had piled on - work, pressure, expectations. I was stopped by a traffic cop, and I don't even remember what the reason was," Janani wrote.advertisement
She recalled the officer asking, 'What happened? Are you okay?' - a question that cut through her stress and made her burst into tears. That brief moment of empathy, she said, helped her feel "more in control, more human.""And that's when the tears came, because someone asked with genuine concern. That one moment of unexpected kindness helped me release all the emotions I had bottled up for weeks," Janani said. She added, "And strangely, that cry made me feel lighter. I actually felt okay after that". In her post, Janani reminded others that vulnerability is natural: "No matter how strong we try to be, we're all vulnerable. And it's okay to break down. It's okay to feel. And if you see someone struggling, a kind word can really make a difference. Let's be gentle. With ourselves. And with each other." Take a look at her post here:The post resonated with many on social media. 'Some words are very powerful at times,' a user said, while another added, 'It's rare that we acknowledge how we are truly feeling and even rarer to express it fully. It takes heart to hold space for ourselves and stay by our side when the tears begin to fall.'Several users reflected on the importance of not letting bad moments define an entire day. 'We stretch a few bad minutes across the whole day and call it bad. But the reality is, most of it was actually fine,' a user said.Another user shared, 'We are living in an era where we struggle to spend meaningful time with our loved ones. It's important to express ourselves before stress takes over.''Thank you, Janani, for sharing this. Unforgettable incident. Great lesson for everyone,' another comment said.See the comments here: This simple exchange between a cop and a commuter reminds us to pause, check on one another, and be kind in a world full of deadlines and demands. - Ends