I have always tried to maintain a spotless record in terms of punctuality, and in the absence of very few personal achievements worth bragging about, I have assigned this small accomplishment a very special place in my heart. So I have decided to dedicate this post to one of the most ingenious contraptions that play a crucial role in helping me maintain the sanctity of my record — the autorickshaw.
Personally, I feel it has not got its due compared with other modes of transport. I admit that it flouts norms and takes on board more passengers than it can accommodate, but can you deny its indispensability? A traffic snarl that holds you to ransom, a series of vehicles refusing to budge and the ticking watch on your wrist that threatens to mar your speckless record for life, what option do you have other than hopping on to the first auto you can lay your eyes on? When you have appointments to keep and deadlines to meet, the auto driver is your knight in shining armour. And he knows this as well.
He can ram his way into the most inaccessible places and negotiate hurdles like a small gap between two buses that will compel even a bicycle rider to think twice before making his way through it. You may dismiss these as sheer disrespect for traffic laws, but I can't help but appreciate the talent.
So what if you have to make do with the cramped space at the back seat and almost no space in the front? That can't take away from the service they render in distress situations. If you want to save yourself the trouble of partially hanging out from the auto with your hands clutching on to the iron road as your only safety belt, you are stamped too snobbish for a ride. But I am even prepared to shrug off this supercilious treatment as a one-off case. Beggars can't be choosers.
Then there are other considerations before the driver allows you to take your seat. You have to be thin or of medium weight to sit at the sides. The healthier lot are not granted a seat at the front (good for them) for fear that the teeny-weeny vehicle might topple. Even at the back, they are made to sit in the middle to balance it out. And to top it all, you should consider yourself lucky if you produce a 10 rupee note and the driver doesn't snub you before deducting the fare. Tender the exact amount and spare the gentleman the trouble. It will not be fair on someone who takes all the trouble to help you cut your travel time by half. Come on, you can't reserve the credit due to them. They rule the road!
Personally, I feel it has not got its due compared with other modes of transport. I admit that it flouts norms and takes on board more passengers than it can accommodate, but can you deny its indispensability? A traffic snarl that holds you to ransom, a series of vehicles refusing to budge and the ticking watch on your wrist that threatens to mar your speckless record for life, what option do you have other than hopping on to the first auto you can lay your eyes on? When you have appointments to keep and deadlines to meet, the auto driver is your knight in shining armour. And he knows this as well.
He can ram his way into the most inaccessible places and negotiate hurdles like a small gap between two buses that will compel even a bicycle rider to think twice before making his way through it. You may dismiss these as sheer disrespect for traffic laws, but I can't help but appreciate the talent.
So what if you have to make do with the cramped space at the back seat and almost no space in the front? That can't take away from the service they render in distress situations. If you want to save yourself the trouble of partially hanging out from the auto with your hands clutching on to the iron road as your only safety belt, you are stamped too snobbish for a ride. But I am even prepared to shrug off this supercilious treatment as a one-off case. Beggars can't be choosers.
Then there are other considerations before the driver allows you to take your seat. You have to be thin or of medium weight to sit at the sides. The healthier lot are not granted a seat at the front (good for them) for fear that the teeny-weeny vehicle might topple. Even at the back, they are made to sit in the middle to balance it out. And to top it all, you should consider yourself lucky if you produce a 10 rupee note and the driver doesn't snub you before deducting the fare. Tender the exact amount and spare the gentleman the trouble. It will not be fair on someone who takes all the trouble to help you cut your travel time by half. Come on, you can't reserve the credit due to them. They rule the road!
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