Jul 27, 2007 01:22 PM
3207 Views
(Updated Jul 27, 2007 03:05 PM)
If you are staying in Pune or have had the opportunity to travel extensively by an Auto you would be lucky not to meet this millionaire auto wallah, unfortunately a not so rare bird indeed. Over a period of time I have studied their habits, a la NatGeo Special.
I have observed that they come in two kinds of species. The first one you can make out is an extremely social bird(I will tackle the second type maybe later). They thrive around in groups around autorickshaw ‘stands’. In many cases the auto stands just mean that…it’s a place where auto’s STAND …well that’s about they do…they just stand there, what else do you expect anyways? You will be sadly mistaken if you believe that it’s a place where you can catch an auto to reach someplace else. Well…let me not stray and get back to my NatGeo Special on the species of the first kind.
Imagine you are late and are frantic to reach somewhere and you find that your car/bike has conked off. You run to the nearest auto stand frantically looking at the time on your wristwatch hoping that there will be atleast one auto at the stand. And Voila! What do you see from far… there are atleast 5 autos at the stand. You whoop in joy and with a smile on your face you reach for the first one and you find that there is one small problem…there is no driver! You suddenly notice some rare birds across the road laughing …having a good time…but you don’t make the connection. Meanwhile you have realized that all the 5 autos are Un-drivered! After a while you realize that some of the rare birds have broken out of the flock and are looking at you curiously. Then the kindest of them takes mercy at you and shouts/warns to the others that they have a customer in their midst. Its then you recognise that these rare birds are indeed the drivers you were looking for! You think you are saved and are deliriously ecstatic with the almost solid hope that maybe…just maybe you are going to reach your destination! This is when the hope is high and the destination is nigh that these rare birds begin their male ritualistic game! The game begins like this….
the kindest of them takes mercy at you and shouts/warns to the others that they have a customer in their midst. …… Now the whole flock gathers around…the kindest one then asks you where do you wanna go? You reply that you want to reach ABC place. Your reply is greeted by pin drop silence….you suddenly realize as if you have shamelessly broken the atmosphere of good cheer and camaraderie by saying the f word(the ABC place) ….suddenly you feel the good ppl pursing their lips and frowning while they shake their heads as if saying “it cannot be my dear hobbit!”….you feel guilt thrust upon you…you draw circles with your toe in the dirt nervously…Your Bird in shining armor(a.k.a the kindest one) still takes up cudgels on you behalf, selects one of the flock and tells him why don’t ye take this person to be his customer. The other one shakes his head morosely and says he CAN’T coz he has to go to XYZ place which is unfortunately in the other direction and in turn passes on the BIG question to some other bird who turns livid at the mere suggestion…so you watch in dismay as the whole thing turns steadily acrimonious. The game reaches its logical end when one of the brighter birds turns angrily to the Bird in Shining armour and asks querously why doesn’t he take his conscience and boil it over a slow fire and maybe take the customer too to the ABC place. Your heart skips a beat…being the sucker you are, your hope shamelessly rises again….and gets whacked AGAIN when the kindest one says “I would have . but you see I have to start now to bring some nameless schoolkids from their school from the other side of town which is nowhere near ABC place” Saying this, the flock gather again as if nothing has happened and starts healing themselves from the injuries of their rifts and resume their mot juste of having a good time.
Meanwhile you have turned into a human wreck never to smile again having irretrievably lost all hope and reason….for the day atleast.
