Conversation with a Cab Driver !!

In my job, I used to travel frequently.

And long cab rides to and from airports were twice as frequent!

And I would strike up conversations with my driver many times. Sometimes these talks lasted for a very short period after which I would hook on my iPod or fire up my notebook to watch a couple of Ted Talks.

And sometimes they would get so engaging that the long 60 to 90 minutes ride would zip by before I reached my destination.

My cab rides would be mostly in a private cab hired by the office or one of those Yellow top ones that I hired at the taxi stand outside airports.

And now I must comment on the Yellow top Taxis.

Very Sad, Yellow Tops are facing extinction in India!!

Once upon a time a Taxi meant a Yellow top only !!

 And they would be found at every street corner in Mumbai, at dusty Taxi pool grounds in every mohalla in Delhi and in the side lanes of congested Calcutta roads.

Smart well-polished black Fiats / Premier Pasdminis with Yellow painted roof on the Mumbai roads. And the driver would drop his hand gear to second before rapidly pushing it up to first as he quickly accelerates in a jack rabbit dash the moment the signal switched to green.

And tired looking bulky Yellow top Ambassadors driven by Sikhs mostly on the Delhi roads.

And in Calcutta it was the all yellow battered Ambassadors, with paan chewing Bihari drivers! And you could clearly hear the grinding of the toothed wheels as he slowly engages his floor shift gear to first.

And their number plates were also black on Yellow!! Chk it out ?? 

Today the Ola and the Uber have driven them out of business.

And I still retain nostalgic memories of riding in such taxis all around these cities, talking about the road condition, the weather, the elections & local politics and sometimes on life and philosophy as well. And a few times I have even dared to probe into their personal life.

Two such conversation I recall and had documented them as well. 9 to 10 years back.

1.       Rich Girl will not obey our orders, Sir !!

So Ramesh, are you married?
No Sir,
What are you waiting for ??
Pause – no answer ..
Do you have any sisters ?
Yes Sir , one , she is married .
Good ! So it’s your turn next , no ??
Yes Sir , my parents are already looking .
Excellent Ramesh !! Ask them to find you a rich girl !!
No Sir!

Why? No rich girl ??
No Sir. Rich girl will not be good Sir .. We have experience Sir .
They are looking for a poor girl only , Sir .

Why Ramesh, what is wrong with rich girls?
Sir, Rich girl … we will want them to.. to obey ..
Rich girl will not obey our orders . Sir .

OK … and ??
Sir,  they will want money and want to be happy only .
Ramesh , is that not what all of us also want in life ??
Not that Sir . Poor girl will know lot more, she will know lot more house things. She will be nice because she will know sadness also Sir !!

And that is how the conversation progressed and finally totally erased the prospects of any rich girl marrying Ramesh , the taxi cab driver who picked me up at Bgl airport and dropped me at home..

2.  My son wants to do CA, Sir!!

A Conversation in Hindi – transcribed in English .
I settled down in the front seat, fastened my seat belt and observed the Swift cab driver . After some time …
What is your name?
Ramkrishn sir.
Very Nice name ! ( Ramkrishn is a combination of Sri Ramchandra and Sri Krishna , two of the most popular Hindu deities in India )
Thank you sir.

We drove for some time while the ladies in the back seat kept chatting away ..
So where have you come from ?
UP sir – Banda
Banda ??
Small village behind Jhansi sir .
More silence as he expertly negotiated some heavy & unruly traffic near a signal .
And why did you come to Delhi ?
After a subdued, soft laugh .. sir, everyone comes to Delhi .
Oh ?
Better living & good children education, Sir

 So, how many kids do you have ?
2 sir. Elder boy in 12th std and a girl.
Wow ! You do not look that old Ramkrishn !
Thank you sir. A soft laugh once more …
In villages we get married much earlier sir.

True ! In my assessment Ramkrishn would not be a day older than 35 years – and already has a son 18 years old . So he must have married at 16 ?

and his wife much younger ??
Not surprising at all ! Pregnant girls @ 13-14 ; young mothers @ 14-15 and a second kid at 16 years are not uncommon sight in Indian villages !!
Ban on child marriages ?? Still some way to go !!

And we continue ..
12th std ?? very crucial ! So what does want to become – engineer, computer engineer ??
No sir – my son wants to do CA .( a very uncommon career aspiration for a young boy in Gurgaon! )
That’s great , Ramkrishn !! By why not Computers?

No Sir, my son does not want to do IT Job Sir. Very bad. Late night work. And the boys and girls there are not good, Sir. And drugs Sir. He will get spoit.

Obviously, he meant the young teenage population working in the Call centres in Gurgaon.

And when these kids start earning good money so early in life, some do get spoit.

And because of a few random incidents his impressions of those hard-working kids has become totally negative. Real Sad.

And your daughter – encourage her to study more than your son , OK ??
Yes sir .
And soon after, I get off from the cab …
Drive safe and slow Ramkrishn !
And the ladies in the back seat pause their chatting and wish me
Bye ! Bye !! Bye !!!
Have a safe trip back !
Sure, OK , Good Night !!

And I rush off to join the long Q at the New Delhi Terminal 3 airport entrance.

Krish