RickshawVaala TanTrums

“Boss… Mithibai College chaloge?” what later followed was an expected nod signalling a negation to my former question, as he whooshed passed me. My supposedly ‘Good morning’ got swapped with two rhythmic swear words. It was half past six in the morning, and yet one random Rickshaw driver managed to spoil your day even before it starts.

While heading towards the college, the Rickshaw driver had an all of a sudden unusual concern about his vehicle and brilliantly smooth roads of Mumbai (sarcasm implied). As I reached college, I was more worried about the driver carrying change for the hundred bucks, than getting shouted at by the professor for being late.

If you are commuting by train and you get down the station onto the main road looking out for a Rickshaw, it’s like Tsunami stricken people run in search of food, people are pouncing on a vacant Rickshaw. The driver enjoying the view, obviously gives first preference to the most good looking one of the pack of fifteen college students (and here I strictly mean girls).

Evenings are far worse than the mornings. According to the experts (which actually means frustrated people waiting for the Rickshaw), the probability of getting a seat in IIM Ahemdabad is higher than getting a rickshaw at any station. 

After years (several minutes) of waiting for a rickshaw, having no other alternative I find myself trudging my footsteps through the busy street heading towards my home.

But all kept aside, from a Rickshaw driver’s perspective his day is far worse than ours. Leaving his house at 4.30 in the morning, in search of passengers like college students (us). Some are waiting for their turn to fill gas.

We find it unbearable to sit at one place in the lectures for 3 hours, whereas these drivers don’t move from their seat for approximately 6-8 hours. Those who drive their rickshaw on rent have to return it to their respective rickshaw lenders who have a particular time deadline. But, we curse them for denying us. 

In the end, they somehow reach home, fatigued. By the time they doze off to sleep, their wake up alarm goes off, and according to their routine they are leaving their house at 4.30.

All this makes me realize, of how wrong our perceptions are about certain people, how blinded we are with our selfish wants that we overlook the miseries of the RickshawVaala. This realization dawned upon me in the evening. I was happy for my considerate mindset.

The very next day, in the morning as I waited for the rickshaw, one stopped and as I said, “Boss… Mithibai College chaloge?”, an expected nod followed and he went off. 

I just gave him a smile and involuntarily those two complimentary swear words flew out of my mouth.