Annappa. The unconventional rider
Bengaluru,
A city of dreams. Without much knowledge about what to do or what to dream, I also entered the city. Lots of friends work here and as soon as I touched down, calls came… all replied with “sure we’ll meet up”.
So the now jobless me started taking all kind of transportation in the city, except one: The Autorickshaw. Well seems the community has something against these professional drivers whose skill may surpass Vin diesel in F8. Well, the reason why I didn’t use it was also because of the vibe I got that these people will rip you off, so why to give it a chance was also my thought. So I stuck with other modes: metro, taxis, pool etc.
So two three days went by and my wallet was growing thin. So still being jobless my friends invited me to Koramangala, and I had a 20km journey in front of me. Hiring a taxi was not even an option, so after few BMTC buses, I reached some part of Koramangala. Heavy traffic and a closing window of time, I decided to try out the notorious mode of transportation.. “Bhaiyya… Truffles challega…” I asked an auto driver who was waiting for a signal, he waved at me to me get in. I got in and the first thing he said literally made me cringe, “Excuse me young man, where would you like to go…I didn’t understand what you said” in an accent that’s way better than mine. I explained my location and he said ok and the journey was on. Out of curiosity I asked, “ how did you gain such good language and still driving this auto”, he replied that this is what he did from his young age and has been riding the auto for 43 years, he took up a degree but still liked the profession so stuck to it; educated his two sons: one an engineer another a bookstore owner. Still, he drives for the sheer pleasure of driving people around the city.

Then it was time for him to ask the questions, he asked about me and my plans in the city. I was still jobless, so replied I was job hunting. He asked me straight out about my qualification and asked me there’s an opportunity at the company his son worked. I declined respectfully though. We spent around 20 mins talking during the traffic block and I felt so happy to see a fine human being and that really changed my perspective about the entire profession. Maybe it just takes a guy to make you hate it, but God will make sure to correct you that not all men are made equal, even if they are of the same profession.
P.S. He didn’t take my money until I put it in his pocket forcibly, he gave me a hug and wished me the best, before joining the other fast and furious traffic stream.
