Infinite auto rides
To work, from work, to friends', to anna's.... the auto drivers community of chennai is richer thanks to me. Should have bought a car a long time ago - the usual reason I give people is that I need to learn how to drive and that means I need to get up at 6 am for 15 days - imposs! (has been imposs at least till now - mom despairs of my ever growing up.. wot is it with growing up and getting up early? there's this cousin who has three little kids - she practically never goes to sleep.... she crashes at nearly 11 or 12, the kids are wide awake and falling all over her, so she can only sleep till they've finally tired and she's up at 4 the next morning - cleaning, washing, cooking, uniform, lunchbox, naivedyam for the daily puja, breakfast, lunch, veggies, milkman, servant.. aaaarrghhhh)
Anyway, coming back to the subject of my autowallahs - i have an assortment of them. some regular, some new, some greedy, some kind and considerate... some drunk (yeah), some sleepy, some loud, some painfully slow, some heartstoppingly rash... and each day I mean to write about these people I spend at least two hours of the day with. My regular neighborhood guy whose daughter studies at the local "big" school.. she's in class 10 and his world revolves around her.. "Should I put her in science or commerce madam?" "Should she join spoken english class madam?" -Arre, let her talk with you, no need for class "What will she talk with me madam, we are all illiterate." Take the autowallah at the stand near my office. Fat, greedy, local dada. Got talking with him and it turns out he shares his name with my dad. And his sunsign! he visits the Angalaparameswari temple (some 80 km frm Chennai) every New Moon night... And does part time work as real estate broker... has travelled all over TN in his auto...
~the chronicle shall continue...
Anyway, coming back to the subject of my autowallahs - i have an assortment of them. some regular, some new, some greedy, some kind and considerate... some drunk (yeah), some sleepy, some loud, some painfully slow, some heartstoppingly rash... and each day I mean to write about these people I spend at least two hours of the day with. My regular neighborhood guy whose daughter studies at the local "big" school.. she's in class 10 and his world revolves around her.. "Should I put her in science or commerce madam?" "Should she join spoken english class madam?" -Arre, let her talk with you, no need for class "What will she talk with me madam, we are all illiterate." Take the autowallah at the stand near my office. Fat, greedy, local dada. Got talking with him and it turns out he shares his name with my dad. And his sunsign! he visits the Angalaparameswari temple (some 80 km frm Chennai) every New Moon night... And does part time work as real estate broker... has travelled all over TN in his auto...
~the chronicle shall continue...
Comments
I have met some pretty interesting ones too!!
-- One who had invested in shares.
-- One who tols me what was wrong with indian government.
-- but my best experience of all - was from an autowallah in Kerala. He asked me to get out of his auto, in the middle of no where at 8:30 PM, because i argued that Brazil would not win the World Cup.
Passion, anyone?
Me.
P.S. I actually walked home that night - about 5 km!
Yeah, should be quite some experience. Do keep sharing.
I have had quite some interesting discussions with autowallas, like you did, and made them richer for good 8/9 years or so!! Discussions ranged from Rajkumar to Talaivar, Amma to Deve Gowda, racism to sarcasm .. what not! Once got in a lengthy conversation with one, who was major fan of U.Srinivas, and we stopped halfway and he played U.Srinivas in his beaten up music system. There are exceptions too, and I even had fist fights with them (urrrrghh!) ..
Autowallas are also great source of information for places, public, transport, whats-going-on things ..
and buy that car! Believe me, I was exactly like you once regarding car thing. If I can do it, anyone can! Imagine listening to U.Srinivas or Bela Fleck while driving on a mad mad day. Makes you forgive everyone else on road ..
Keep elaborating and regular blogging :)
autowallas rich money but low vision and no ambition (that works for my motivation - hope thats help you while comparison))
chennai is better, in bangalore you got so much time in auto (you can write a book)
i once took taxi in singapore. surrprise - driver was investment banking earned enough money, retired early and now happy to doing easy job for killing his time... gosh, can i ever do that.!?) hope i do..