Overview
- Deepak Pandey, who holds a corporate job and is enrolled in a PhD programme, began riding for Rapido after office hours and posts his routine on Instagram under @trippypandey03.
- He says the side work brings him greater satisfaction and reports earning about Rs 600–700 per evening and up to Rs 1,500 on full days of riding, figures that are self-reported in interviews and posts.
- Pandey balances office work, doctoral research, cooking, video editing and evening rides as part of a daily routine he describes as energising rather than draining.
- Responses on social media split between users who say they are inspired to use spare time for side income and users who warn that such schedules risk physical exhaustion and mental burnout.
- Journalists frame his story as part of a wider shift in how younger workers mix salaried jobs, gig work and personal branding, while noting that claims about earnings and sustainability are based on his account and not independently verified.