With its growing inequality, there is still one thing that binds the haves and the have-nots in India. It is the portly auto-rickshaw. While the older versions, with their belching fume pipes, rickety bodies and non-working meters, transport us to pre-liberalised India, the newer LPG versions zooming around with green bodies point us to the energized present.
Just like the vibrant ethnicity of the people, and the languages we speak in this country, the humble auto too changes its shape, size and behaviour across the states and cities. Let’s compare the auto brethren in the southern cities of Bangalore and Chennai.
Though the vital statistics of the autos from these two cities may look similar, the frontal visage of the Bangalore auto is flatter. The Chennai counterpart, a wee bit fuller. Your posteriors are sucked fully inside, in a Bangalore auto thanks to its inclined seats. In Chennai, with flatter seats, you can choose to sit more uprightly – although, you end up sitting on the edge thinking of the monies you need to cough up at the end of the journey.
Remember the late Dev Anand, his head nodding and swaying from one end of the spectrum to another, as he romanced his women on screen? Prepare your head to take a similar trajectory when you hail an auto in Bangalore. The only difference is unlike Dev Saab’s heroines, you can’t expect any response from the Bangalore auto-driver. On the other hand, his Chennai friend would prove to be a head-turner – he would stop with reverence and quote an astronomical fare unflinchingly, which can send the supplest of Dravidian men into a tizzy.
Ever noticed the similarities between auto-rickshaws in the Western coast of India? To be more precise, the autos in Kerala and in a metropolis like Mumbai have a lot in common. They look like brothers, and they are truly brothers in arms when it comes to being nice natured. The drivers return change at the end of the journey. At least, most of them do.
Now, shift your focus to the capital. The Delhi auto-rickshaws are a breed of their own. And not surprisingly, since they are in Delhi, they tend to behave like the ruling government. After your negotiations with the driver, you believe you are comfortable as you resume the journey – just like a citizen in the first six months of an elected government. Sooner or later, you know the guy is literally taking you for a ride – similar to how one feels in the middle of a government’s term. And boy, before you have realized it, he has dumped you at your destination. And that sour expression in your face isn’t going to be erased soon. Quite similar to how one feels at the end of each government’s tenure, isn’t it?
However you look at it, one can’t ignore the role auto-rickshaws play in our lives. Love it or hate it, they would continue to do so for some more years to come. But always remember, in an autocratic nation, you need to live by their rules.
Just like the vibrant ethnicity of the people, and the languages we speak in this country, the humble auto too changes its shape, size and behaviour across the states and cities. Let’s compare the auto brethren in the southern cities of Bangalore and Chennai.
Though the vital statistics of the autos from these two cities may look similar, the frontal visage of the Bangalore auto is flatter. The Chennai counterpart, a wee bit fuller. Your posteriors are sucked fully inside, in a Bangalore auto thanks to its inclined seats. In Chennai, with flatter seats, you can choose to sit more uprightly – although, you end up sitting on the edge thinking of the monies you need to cough up at the end of the journey.
Remember the late Dev Anand, his head nodding and swaying from one end of the spectrum to another, as he romanced his women on screen? Prepare your head to take a similar trajectory when you hail an auto in Bangalore. The only difference is unlike Dev Saab’s heroines, you can’t expect any response from the Bangalore auto-driver. On the other hand, his Chennai friend would prove to be a head-turner – he would stop with reverence and quote an astronomical fare unflinchingly, which can send the supplest of Dravidian men into a tizzy.
Ever noticed the similarities between auto-rickshaws in the Western coast of India? To be more precise, the autos in Kerala and in a metropolis like Mumbai have a lot in common. They look like brothers, and they are truly brothers in arms when it comes to being nice natured. The drivers return change at the end of the journey. At least, most of them do.
Now, shift your focus to the capital. The Delhi auto-rickshaws are a breed of their own. And not surprisingly, since they are in Delhi, they tend to behave like the ruling government. After your negotiations with the driver, you believe you are comfortable as you resume the journey – just like a citizen in the first six months of an elected government. Sooner or later, you know the guy is literally taking you for a ride – similar to how one feels in the middle of a government’s term. And boy, before you have realized it, he has dumped you at your destination. And that sour expression in your face isn’t going to be erased soon. Quite similar to how one feels at the end of each government’s tenure, isn’t it?
However you look at it, one can’t ignore the role auto-rickshaws play in our lives. Love it or hate it, they would continue to do so for some more years to come. But always remember, in an autocratic nation, you need to live by their rules.
