Auto Driver

The title might sound like a low budget B-grade rendition of the Scorcese classic "Taxi Driver" but let me assure that it ain't. The very word 'Auto-driver' will give us images of sweaty cream-shirted guys out there to swindle every penny u have got. I myself have gone into quiet a few duels with them with regard to the cost of travel....many of them turning very colourful in a vocabulary sense but off-late i could not help but notice the bright side of the race. The thing i have noticed is that the moment the meter is down u have a completely different person to deal with. Some are friendly, some just go about their business, but most importantly they tend to take shade which is far adrift from what i have described them as before. I suppose all the mumbling will not help unless i give a few examples...and i intend to do just that....

Example 1:

I was on my way to a friends house....a place i have never been before. After a minor altercation with the Auto-Driver (AD) regarding return fare we were on our way (for the record..i told him to tow my line..or go fish..and towing he did). Initially the AD was not enthused about taking me on this trip...but unfortunately this poor had neither the wallet nor lack of appetite to do things otherwise. I asked him to go slow so that i could locate this god-forsaken place were my friend lived. I also kept asking people for directions....and to my surprise the AD also joined the act and asked with the same desperation that i had to find this place. Was it desperation to get rid of me and move onto some other sucker he can swindle or did it sub-consciously become his duty, now that he has to give me the lift, to make sure i find this place and get to this friend of mine who is waiting for me? I would think the later was the driving force...and i was charmed. Sure it was small thing...but charmed all the same.

Example 2:

Another friend of mine miss the bus. As our bus drivers ain't the faint-hearted step on the gas without a worry in the world. This friend who doesn't have any of the athletic abilities that PT Usha can brag about had no other option but to hail an auto and order mercifully, "catch that bus". The AD i am quite sure must have thought in his mind," u got to be kiddin me dear"..but nevertheless gave it his best shot. What followed was a very spirited chase which finally ended up with AD honking with all his might on one hand and giving the accelerator a nice kick on the other. The objective was achieved. They were able to stop the bus ..the girl paid the AD got into the bus and reached college. The AD got paid but might live to regret the damages that might have happened to his 'bread-and-butter'...and did it all with slight grin.

Example 3:

My mom, as i have pointed out in the past is severely arthritic. However there are duties that she has to fulfill with dad being out of town. One such duty quite sometime ago was to repair our cassette player (which is why i stress on the 'quite sometime' part). Once mom got home she was received a welcome from Dog (impy) and no one else. I was playing a game on my comp, my sis was reading a novel and my grand-dad was lying down reflecting upon the life that he has lead. Mom tried in-vain to get our attention which only meant that she was left with two options

1) to pick the thing up herself
2) to teach impy a new trick on how to hold a cassette player on her back

As both these things were not feasible she gave the AD a very helpless look. The AD stepped up to the occasion and helped mom out with the player and went on his way. Oh and before i forget he had already been paid before he helped her out.

There are few more examples but then i fear that it might get repetitive. In short what i would like to say is that we should keep faith in our fellow beings. Not all are out there to make a mickey out of you and that includes the Auto Driver.