Random Encounters…

Random Encounters…

In the 1.5 years I’ve spent in Bangalore, I along with other acquaintances have had rather interesting/irritating encounters with the autorickshaw drivers of the city. Some days back was the last straw…yet another time we had a verbal fight with yet another such person. Suddenly I was telling my roomie that I could write a book on the experiences I’ve had with this breed of public transport employees. She said, well maybe not book, but a blog possibly….

So here’s an assorted list of random incidents which have taken place in Bangalore with unsuspecting people like me (now I’ve become street-smart literally).

1. Me and my roomie(#1) were coming back from MG road to Kormangala via Intermediate Ring Road, the auto breaks down and we stranded in the middle of nowhere. Our autowala very considerately (I’m not being sarcastic) stopped another auto and we gladly hopped in (leaving the poor guy stranded, with a broken auto). As we relapsed into our normal chitchat, it was about 5 minutes before we realized the meter had not been run. On asking, he very insolently said, ’30 rupees de dena’ [just give 30 rupees], (the actual fare is about 15, 20 at the maximum). We said, already wary of such incidents, ‘kis baat ka?’[for what] He said,’100, 200 nahi bola atleast’ [atleast I didn’t ask 100 or 200 bucks], and without speaking a word, turned back the auto in the same lane (yes on a one way lane) and said, ‘wapas chodke aata hun wahi pe’ [I’ll drop you back there]. By that time, we were also equally annoyed and said, ‘haan aap wahi karo’ [yes you do that]. And he starts on his way back, muttering to himself ‘pehle jao fir wapas chodke aao’[first I pick them up and then I have to drop them back]. At this, I said ‘kisne bola aapko chodneko? Yahin chod do.’ [Who told you to drop us back? Leave us here] (We were already worried because where our auto had broken down, there were no people on the road (except in cars) and the area had no lights/shops etc. (anyone been to Intermediate Ring Road will know). Thankfully, (realizing that he was losing money by going back), he stopped. We got off, stranded a little less to nowhere, with no autos in sight, having to walk all the way to the nearest populated area, Ejipura.

2. My roomie (#1) was coming from somewhere and got off at her destination, talking on the phone. She handed a 50 Rupees note to the autowala, and was supposed to get some 25 Rupees back I think. He gave some 15/20 Rupees less and started leaving. She counted the money, and on realizing the discrepancy, asked the guy who said something like ‘no change’, or ‘wrong calculation’. She got so pissed that she sat back in the auto and demanded to go to the police station. He started giving the money, but she was not mollified; she just wanted to go to the police. Finally, after some time of heated exchange, she acquiesced and got off. (Admittedly, they guy could have made a genuine error, but with so many precedents, it’s a little difficult to digest.)

3. Me and my roomie (#2) were coming from Forum to home (hardly 3 Kms away) at about 9pm. We asked about 5-6 autos; all demanded ridiculously large amounts (double/more than that). Finally, when the 7^th autowala demanded the same amount, I lost it and said ‘kis baat ka’? [for what] Pat came the usual reply ‘return nahi milta’ [Don’t get a return passenger]. I said something like I’ll tell the police /complain, when the guy said, daring me, ‘kar lo complain, this is my number plate.’ I got so annoyed that had I had the phone number of the local auto helpline/police, I would have called there and then. I had even memorized the number plate for some time after that. It was that day that I finally added the helpline number in my phonebook.

4. Me alone, coming back from CAT exam (Inspired by a Tête-à-Tête) the only experience which was pleasant.

5. Me and my roomie (#1), reached M.G Road, and handed the driver a 50 rupee note (the bill was 49). He pocketed the note, and without a word, started the engine. We asked about the 1 rupee (I know I know it was just 1 rupee), he said without even checking, ‘nahi hai’ [no change]. We got so annoyed by his insolent attitude that I asked him to return to the note; I’d give him the change. Then, between me and roomie, we coughed up the change – 4 10 rupee notes and 9 1 rupee coins (if I remember correctly). He took the money, his face an expression of dismay mixed with amusement at our cheapness (I always maintain it’s a matter of principle).

6. Me and a friend returning from Garuda mall at about 9:45 pm; as we came out of the mall and neared the group of autowalas,(who stand there like vultures, waiting for their prey), I predicted to my friend, ‘they’ll start with 100’. And I was right; the moment an autowala said ‘100’, my friend and I started laughing. He (autowala) looked at me and said ‘kitna mein jayega?’ [In how much will you go?], I said ‘nahi jana….aap khud hi jao’ [I don’t want to go…you can go]. Then another one started at 80, finally we went at 60.

7. Me and my roomies were coming from Garuda, again same case, the moment he said the rate, we started laughing, and seeing our sudden laugh, and the autowala’s flustered face, adjoining autowala started laughing, finally one said 60 , but we wanted go by 1.5 meter only. Turns out, by 1.5, the price came to 70, we felt so foolish. It’s not that we didn’t how much it cost. Just that in Bangalore, the auto meters have all kinds of adjustments done, designed to get the autowala the desired fare. The passengers might think themselves lucky to get an autowala agree to go by meter, only to be later shocked by the unusually high fare.

8. Me and my roomie (#1) were going to Forum from our home, and as usual all the autowalas (standing in a cluster) started asking obscene rates, when another guy arrived and asked for the same place. Seeing us ask, he offered to club together, we agreed. The autowala took an alternative route (via NGV which was fine by us (i.e. my roomie and I)). The other guy wanted to get off at someplace near JNC (Jyoti Nivas College) so obviously the route was wrong for him. He kept saying ‘sukh sagar se chalo… ‘[go via sukh sagar], but the autowala kept mumbling something about traffic and went on the same route. Our co-passenger’s anger was apparently rising, and he started shouting, ‘what do you think of yourself. We are giving you money, go in the route we tell you.’ Obviously, the autowala got angry and stopped the auto at the side of a road. Both came out and were near about in fisticuffs, while we two sat there, mouths agape. I don’t remember how, but somehow the guy cooled and got off there, even giving the shared money. We heaved a sigh of relief.

9. It was a bright sunny Saturday during our initial days in Bangalore; we had to go to this place called Vijaynagar (atleast that’s what we thought at that time) for a gas connection. The first auto we got, we asked him, and he agreed immediately. Being the foolish naïve girls we were at that time, we hadn’t even bothered to ask about atleast an idea of what the location of that area was. All we had was a gas agency’s number and the name of the area. We asked the autowala if he knew the gas agency in that area. He answered, very confidently, in the affirmative. As we started, we crossed Jayanagar, J.P.Nagar, Banashankari, and we started wondering whether we were headed the right direction. In fact my roomie very intelligently wondered aloud’ why would a gas agency be located so far?’ Surely a branch would be located nearer, like in the actual city?’ We again asked the autowala if he knew where he was going. Again he asserted that he knew. Slowly the meter crossed 70-80-90… at 99 he reset the meter and now we were totally confused as where we were going. Then we reached Vijaynagar area and were atleast happy that we’d reached the area we were looking for. After a lot of inquiring, we finally reached the gas agency. Aware of the distance from the main city, we asked the autowala if he’d wait. He agreed (it had been his lucky day).We were already doubtful if we were in the right place; on enquiring about the person we were supposed to meet, we met a blank. They didn’t know. We called up whoever had given us the directions; turns out she had said ‘Viveknagar’ – an area just 3-4 kilometres away from home. Arghhhhhhhhhhhhhh… With tired faces, we started our journey back. At the end of our uneventful road trip, our pockets were lighter by about 300 bucks, while the autowala left with a very satisfied wallet. Actually, this incident is actually more about the folly that we committed in our ignorance and not so much about autowalas. So what? Now I can proudly claim to know about Vijaynagar, and the gas agency there (not that anyone is asking, but still..)

Besides these incidents, there would have been several others..

Some have skipped my memory,

Some are too winded to jot down...

A few more things (this time positive) about autowalas which makes me realize that not all of them are bad; some honest workers also drive in the streets...just that we don’t happen to be their fortunate passengers too often..

Autowalas who agree by meter are, invariably, the ones who have change, down to a single rupee.

And if they don’t, they hunt her and there until they finally return the change.

As I sit here writing all this…. I try to think of some more positive things about the autowalas of Bangalore. Unfortunately I’m unable to come up with any more...

It’s a sad fact I guess...

Let’s leave it at that…

Food for thought: - Have you ever wondered why the Blood group field in the Autodriver-identification printout stuck in the interior of each auto, is empty?