Grandchildren Now Have An Hourly Rate In India.
The Take
India invented the joint family. The cities quietly un-invented it. Startups now rent out grandchildren by the hour, police-verified, trained for hospital visits, shopping and small talk. Al Jazeera covered the boom this week. The elderly pay for conversations their families stopped having. Nobody's grandmother has asked for a refund yet.
The Wire
Rent-a-grandchild businesses are expanding across Indian cities, offering paid, police-verified companions to elderly people whose families live elsewhere, Al Jazeera and Quartz report. Services cover hospital visits, shopping, outings and everyday conversation, billed hourly. Trak.in notes the demand tracks India's ageing population and rising loneliness among seniors living alone in large cities.
The receipts
Source: Al Jazeera