I don't think anyone other than a Mumbaikar can understand my sentiments in this post, or those who have visited Mumbai and stayed here for sometime. Autorickshaws have been an integral part of suburban Mumbai. After trains and buses, the most number of vehicles on the road are rickshaws and man do they know how to drive. They can squeeze in through the most unimaginable of spaces and come unscathed. I myself cringe in the auto thinking that I might hit the neighbouring vehicle if I sit with legs a bit wide. The drivers are the real stars, they can manoeuvre an auto with such expertise that you might find yourself astounded at their skill sometimes. I remember once thanking god after getting out of an auto where the driver almost overtook a mercedes and a jaguar and made them look bad. But then there is always a bad side to everything. No matter how matter we praise the drivers we end up abusing more. Why?
Well you see in reality these drivers are required to take you where you ask them and cannot refuse a fare but NO!!! they are their own masters (obviously they are not slaves) almost 50% of the time you wont find an auto who would take you to your destination and simply because either its too close or its an empty lane and there is no chance of getting traffic (which obviously increases the fare) or you are a single guy.
If you are a girl or you either have a girl along with you, congrats you just got into an auto, you don't even have to ask, "Jaayega??"
This is precisely because they have to put their rear view mirror to some use and its biggest use is to view some "action/scene in the backseat" as they put it. There have been instances where I had to ask my girl buddies to stop an auto for us guys to get it and boy do we get to see the disappointment on the driver's face when he realizes he just got punk'd.
One more thing I realized is every commuter always feels that the meter in his auto is going a bit fast than it should have and for that reason he'll need to pay a higher fare. Guys, I tell you there is no point arguing......unless a girl does the arguing for you and voila you just saved atleast 5 bucks and however small it may be, its a VICTORY !!!! (we do take pleasure in small things......and WE LOVE IT)
One of my friend is particularly in "love" with the rickshaw drivers. As a person showers his/her love on his/her lover, he too showers something on the drivers, only difference, its abuses ( you know the usual, mc, bc , chu, mkc{which he is particularly good at giving, it hurts u know} love-day, kaan me daal, kaan maraa etc etc) I swear I have learnt a few new and good ones from him. He is like a God in that dept.
Be it college to the railway station or vice versa we would always find him hurling his "love" at the drivers they would refuse his fare and he would be stranded alone. Its a love story gone awfully wrong. More on that some other time.
In the end I would say that even though its a love/hate game between the commuters and the drivers, we absolutely require them in our daily life (because we understand their importance only when they go on a strike and we have wait for the stupid bus, which is never on time)
Well you see in reality these drivers are required to take you where you ask them and cannot refuse a fare but NO!!! they are their own masters (obviously they are not slaves) almost 50% of the time you wont find an auto who would take you to your destination and simply because either its too close or its an empty lane and there is no chance of getting traffic (which obviously increases the fare) or you are a single guy.
If you are a girl or you either have a girl along with you, congrats you just got into an auto, you don't even have to ask, "Jaayega??"
This is precisely because they have to put their rear view mirror to some use and its biggest use is to view some "action/scene in the backseat" as they put it. There have been instances where I had to ask my girl buddies to stop an auto for us guys to get it and boy do we get to see the disappointment on the driver's face when he realizes he just got punk'd.
One more thing I realized is every commuter always feels that the meter in his auto is going a bit fast than it should have and for that reason he'll need to pay a higher fare. Guys, I tell you there is no point arguing......unless a girl does the arguing for you and voila you just saved atleast 5 bucks and however small it may be, its a VICTORY !!!! (we do take pleasure in small things......and WE LOVE IT)
One of my friend is particularly in "love" with the rickshaw drivers. As a person showers his/her love on his/her lover, he too showers something on the drivers, only difference, its abuses ( you know the usual, mc, bc , chu, mkc{which he is particularly good at giving, it hurts u know} love-day, kaan me daal, kaan maraa etc etc) I swear I have learnt a few new and good ones from him. He is like a God in that dept.
Be it college to the railway station or vice versa we would always find him hurling his "love" at the drivers they would refuse his fare and he would be stranded alone. Its a love story gone awfully wrong. More on that some other time.
In the end I would say that even though its a love/hate game between the commuters and the drivers, we absolutely require them in our daily life (because we understand their importance only when they go on a strike and we have wait for the stupid bus, which is never on time)
RSS Feed
