Raho me unse mulaqat ho gayi

 Aaate jaate khubsurat awara sadko pe, kabhi kabhi ittefaq se, kitne anjaan log mil jaate he; unme se kuchh log bhul jaate he, kuchh yaad rahe jaate he - these are the words from a famous hindi song sung by Kishore Kumar few decades back. These lines talk about the strangers we meet randomly in life, some are forgotten, some are still occupying our memory. I have vivid memory of the public transports I availed in different cities across the world. Auto rickshaw drivers of India grab a fair share of that memory. Many of them brought the angry avatar out of me with their unjust demand, some impressed me with their inspiring attitude. I am going to dedicate this post to those auto drivers who made me realize that simple living and high thinking is still not a myth in today's world.

I started my career in Kolkata where I used to catch auto rickshaw for commute, in case I missed the office bus. Auto fare in Kolkata is fixed for a given route unlike other cities in India. It used to be a whole 20 minutes drive from my hostel to the office in Sector 5 in Salt Lake. I still remember the auto drivers who used to ask the young male passengers to move to the front seat leaving the back passenger seat to me, with concern on my security and comfort. One day I was returning from office and it started pouring heavily. Sudden loadshedding made the streets as dark as pitch. I took one rickshaw first. After one kilometer, he abandoned me on side of the road as the water level was increasing on the road. I got afraid by the darkness as I was unable to have a clear sight ahead and probability of electric wire and venomous creatures in the water were high. One auto driver located me and offered me a ride and dropped me home safely. I was expecting him to charge extra fare. He did not ask any, rather he waited on the road until the door of my hostel was opened and I stepped inside.

Years passed by and I moved to Bangalore. I started taking auto there for regular commute. Auto drivers made me realize that I really need to work on my negotiation skill 😉. I remember one rainy afternoon in early August. My auto was waiting at the signal. One small kid was selling India flags. He approached me, I denied first. He started pursuing me and put two flag on my lap. I gave in and started pulling my purse out of my office bag. At that very moment the traffic light turned green and my auto ran past the signal. I felt guilty. Upon reaching home, I paid the driver little extra than usual fare. He said something in Kannada. I could not understand. Then he expressed with gestures that he will handover this extra money to the little kid while going back!

One day I hired an auto from BTM Layout to Madiwala. I had to catch a bus to Chennai. It was mid summer. I was carrying two big suitcases with me. Unfortunately the auto had to stop few hundred meters before the destination. A large ditch was dug before the bus stand. Seems some fiber repair work was going on. I could not figure out how I can reach the bus stand pulling all the luggage, hardly few minutes were left for the departure. I paid the driver as agreed before. Sensing my helplessness, the auto driver parked his auto, placed the big suitcases on his head and guided me through the site till the bus stop. My bus was about to start. With help of bus conductor I placed my luggage in the bottom cabin and boarded the bus. As soon as I settled in my seat, I realized I did not even say 'thank you' to the auto driver, neither offered him any amount for the effort he spent😔. I don't know what he thought of me that day. But I see him as a fruit of noble upbringing by his kind parents.

Few months back, I was again travelling to Chennai from Bangalore. I had a bus to catch from Shanti Nagar bus stand. I hired an Uber auto. He dropped me at the destination on time. But I was not able to find the landmark mentioned in the RedBus ticket for the departure spot. The auto driver called my bus driver and figured out the details and then guided me to the spot near the landmark. I did not miss to thank him!

I was visiting Trivandrum few years back. I booked a package tour from Trivandrum to Kanyakumari on the second day of my stay. The trip experience was memorable. I returned Trivandrum around 10:30 pm. It was difficult to find any public transport to my sea side resort late at night. The package tour operator hired an auto for me. I was little skeptic and stayed connected with my family members till I reached the destination. The auto driver kept assuring me and drove safely. The next morning I went to a nearby shop to purchase few necessary items. The shopkeeper lady identified me as non native and asked me if I hired an auto till the resort the previous night. I nodded. She told me that auto driver was her son and he told her about me and my hesitation the previous night. She assured me that Kerala is still not that bad place and her son can help me with a ride whenever I need.

This post can not be complete without mention of Nizam. During my visit to Jodhpur, I came across Nizam, a very soft spoken and well informed auto driver. He showed me places during my week long stay. Once I stopped at a sweet shop to buy some snacks. The shopkeeper did not have change and my digital wallet was not working. Nizam tried to intervene and offered to pay for the snacks for me! It moved me beyond words. Finally, I decided not to buy from that shop and try some other place. I was expecting him to ask for higher fare on completion of the trip. But he charged optimal amount. He just wanted to see me leaving his town with positive impression at heart 😀.

I may not meet these beautiful people again. Their daily struggles are far more difficult than mine. Auto drivers in India do not enjoy good name, in general. But kind hearted people brightens other's life wherever they go. I heartily wish good life to all these angels.