The Autowallahs

Last three days I've been taking autorickshaws to and back from work. In my childhood, travelling in an auto used to be a luxury. The people I knew would rather walk, take a tampoo or a cycle rickshaw. Then when I had grown up a little, autorickshaw was a transport to the school. Later in college days, it was an occasional ride from the railway station when I visited home. I still remember the autorickshaw owner who used to drop me to school; he was a tall man, used to sit sideways, and was always on time. Sitting on the front seat with him used to be a privilege those days. I used to be one of the last ones to be dropped and so I would get the front seat. Those were good times.

The first morning, I walk up to this fella standing at the corner of the main road. He quotes me Rs 50 for my destination and I say ok, lets go. Once we've started, I tell him he should charge less, the distance is small. He tells me the amount of diesel burnt cannot be less, and so he cant charge me less. Plus he won't get a return sawari (passenger) back. He's taller than average height, has a thin beard and speaks hindi interspersed with english words. He is from around here, Hyderabad he says. I ask him if he has considered driving a car and if that would earn him more. He tells me there's no dignity in driving for someone else, one should have ones own vehicle. I press him, that maybe he'll earn more by driving a car even if for someone else, I tell him "sochna" think about it. I have made a rookie mistake. He tells me that the car is 4 lacs, and auto is 1.5 lacs. That he owns this auto. That everyone has their problems. That one who leaps in life falls hard, that he doesn't want to jump, and that step by step is the way to rise. That everyone has their problems. That you only earn it's not 10-20. That if he earned 20 he would do it. That it's 10-12. That he'll probably only make a little more. My destination has come, I get off and pay him.

I don't happen to take another auto ride until the next evening. I get into this auto, the driver is balding, he wears a half sleeved khakhi shirt, and is in his 40s. He has agreed upon Rs 50. I ask him when does he start work in the morning. He tells me he starts at 9-9:30. And he works until 10-12. He earns about 7-8 thousand Rs a month, he says. I ask him what he does for food. Sometimes he brings tiffin from home, sometime he just eats roti with onions and mirchi (red pepper) paste. It doesn't matter. He has three kids, he drops them to school first thing in the morning, and then he works the entire day. I ask him if his kids study well, they do he says. This whole thing was a jungle, he says. There was nothing here, now it's all buildings. He remembers the day when he used to take a lorry, a cart or walk far to get back to home, sometimes 12 o clock midnight, after work. He worked in a lot places, but since 1990, 20 years he says, he has been driving an auto. He owns this auto. He is not from hyderabad, but he's lived here long enough. They are three brothers and have some land in his native place. He visits occasionally. It's noisy and I don't catch everything but his two brothers are well off. He has seen the whole thing grow so fast in last few years; now there are all these big buildings, but he hasn't forgotten his days. Roti with mirchi has still stayed with him all these years, others might have forgotten, he hasn't and he drives off with those last words.