Bangalore has been home for eighteen years now . And if you have been in Bangalore for sometime now , one pain which binds us all is the general behaviour of autowallahs. Although after the advent of Ola/Uber definitely autos have taken a backseat .
But still as a newcomer to this city in 2001 , autos were our preferred mode of transport where I used to hop on to auto from CMH road to jeevanbima nagar . Those were the days where we had just passed from the engineering college and we landed in Bangalore to find our dream IT job. Every penny mattered and whenever we don’t want to climb on the BMTC bus and had some company , we would take an auto to and fro. We were three room mates and this made sense ( You see student life is all about caring for that single penny as we were on budget always) , it was an idle situation where all the expenses were divided by three.
Haggling was a common practice and most of the autowallahs were rude and would demand exorbitant money for driving from one place to another. And that’s the general impression about them . But here I am going to share some stories which busts the myth that auto drivers are rude and uncouth.
I was working for TCS during that time . And I had to go to MG road from JeevanBima nagar. One of my college friend had come . As I got ready and was hurrying up to catch one auto , my mind rustled when the auto slowed down . Again this guy is going to ask for extra . And the first question I asked “Bhaiya , meter ! . And he asks in sign language “Where” In anticipation with a bated breadth I tell him “MG Road ” . And then he says “OK madam Banni ” I was utterly surprised to get an auto in the first instance. As I sit in the auto and it speeds off , my eyes veers off to the tree lined CMH road and the swanky shops selling all kind of clothes , accessories etc. Suddenly the auto driver asks me madam do you work in IT ? And I nod in affirmation . I ask him Where does he live ? And he replies that he lives somewhere near majestic. He then tells me that he works very hard for his family and has three children.
Then he request me to check a box kept behind the seat and asks me to take one or two soaps if I like it. The box had bathing soaps in different fragrances and he was using the commute time to sell the products of this company . I was impressed by his zeal to use this commute time to sell products and give a better lifestyle to his family and kids. I left the auto congratulating him for his efforts . Its not everyday you meet such a versatile autowallah.
The next incident took place when I had dropped my son to his friend’s house and while returning I could not find any auto . It was one corner of Sarjapura Road . And suddenly I hear the loud rustle of an auto . I gave him sign to stop and he stops immediately . I ask him ïf he would go to Harlur Road . And then he smiles and says that he is going to the other side . But he offers me to drop to the main Road as he is going to take that road itself. I board the auto . Once I reach the main road , he stops . I alight down and hand him the minimum fare . He refuses saying that anyway he was going there so no need to pay , also he did not drop me to my destination. But I tell him its all right and insists to take the fare. Finally he takes the fare , I congratulate and tell him that it is rare to find such autowallahs in Bangalore . He smiles and replies with a grin , ” Madam , Abhi bhi kuch hamare jaise autowallah hai Bangalore mein . Upar jakar kya mooh dikhayenge bhagwan ko .” I cannot agree more and starts walking to my home.
A Creative Bay 