TransLink driver serenades passenger in birthday surprise
Posted March 17, 2023 4:18 pm.
Last Updated March 17, 2023 4:22 pm.
A Burnaby woman got quite the birthday surprise — getting serenaded by a TransLink driver she had never met before.
Komal Prabhakar and her boyfriend Sushen Sharma were heading back from a Hindu temple in Burnaby on Friday morning with a box of sweets when they boarded the 100 bus from Marine Drive.
She says when they got on, the driver, named Mohammed, noticed the treats and began talking with Sharma.
“He told him, ‘oh, it’s her birthday’ so he said ‘do you want me to sing a song for you?’ and I said, ‘okay let’s go,'” she told CityNews.
“He was really excited to sing and wish her happy birthday,” Sharma added. “It was very overwhelming for us.”
Shoutout to the amazing @TransLink bus driver who surprised my girlfriend with a birthday song on our ride today You made our day and showed that small acts of kindness can make a big difference! #KindnessMatters #SpreadLove“
@CTVVancouver @DailyHiveVan pic.twitter.com/J34bfQSoJO
— insights_hunter (@sushensharma111) March 17, 2023
The song that the driver sang, the couple explained, is a common Hindi song sung throughout India for birthdays. They say it translates into “may this day come again and again and you will live for a thousand years.”
The astonishing part for the two, however, is that the driver was not born in India.
“Hindi is not the first language of Mohammed,” Sharma said. “His great, great grandfather was from India and he was originally from Fiji…and he told me he could sing the song very well.”
The fact that the driver sang a song of cultural significance, Prabhakar said, meant a lot.
“I was just so surprised because I thought he would sing Happy Birthday or something, but when he sang the Hindi song. I was so surprised,” she said.
Prabhakar says the surprise is among her most memorable birthday experiences to date.
“Mohammed has already set a benchmark for me…he already pulled all the charm for the day,” joked Sharma.
