I am terrible with road directions. Unless I have gone on a route 29 times, I will not know it. It is not dyslexia as many would believe…it’s just that I’ve never cared to know it. So last night, after witnessing a group of men rant about how treacherous my company was, I hailed an auto, put on my music and told the autowallah with full confidence “Andheri west chalo (I was in andheri east…listening to our dormant clients vent…don’t even ask!)
Cool breeze, drizzle, night time…soon, I drifted away, lost in my own world…and as usual, didn’t bother to keep track of where I was headed. And sooner, I realized I was lost (again!?) (I’ve been living in this city for 2 years now, and I still haven’t really gotten use to Mumbai’s so-called straight roads). So as this reality dawned upon me, I continued to do what I was doing…pretending that I am fully aware of my whereabouts…but the thoughts in my mind were way out of control…what if he kidnaps me…thankfully I have my umbrella as a weapon; what if it takes me 2 hours to reach home…I won’t get enough sleep; this is a lonely stretch…anything can happen here; I must remember to remember the routes so I remember; blah blah blah.
While I listened to Jim Morrison sing ‘People are strange, when you’re a stranger, faces look ugly, when you’re alone’ (uncanny given the situation) I saw a familiar building. My eyes lit up and I thought in my head “hey…this is where akshu (my partner in everything) n I have come to see a house once!!” I called him immediately…with a petulant tone, he told me where to go and I directed the auto guy accordingly (he has almost given up explaining simple directions to me…sometimes I can’t even explain where I am).
After just a few moments I realized…’Ofcourse I know this route…I have indeed travelled through here, if not 29, but at least 17 times! My confidence was back and how J so much so that I began to direct him…’yaha se left…signal se right’…to reiterate to myself more than him that I am in control of the situation…and I will reach home before any of the imagined demonic things happen to me.
I reached home; The auto fare read 69…I quickly checked on my m-indicator (this cool app on blackberry which tells me auto/taxi fares and a lot else). I asked him “88 hua na” he said quickly, “nahi itna nahi…route lamba ho gaya na”... I was STUNNED. Let me translate and explain. He was telling me that it is his fault that he didn’t know the route! and since we had to take a longer one, I can pay him less!! Now I have come across many honest people…but never have I come across someone who will let go off their money like this. Simply put, not only was he admitting that he was wrong…he also didn’t want the money due!!!! Now this…can happen only in Mumbai
I gave him whatever change I had (around 83 rupees) and I took from him an experience I will never forget.
Think about it. Individually, we all are our own Lokpal bill! Here is a man who works 14 hours a day, lives hand-to-mouth earning barely 20,000 rupees a month, refusing to take extra money that he thinks he doesn’t deserve. And then we have the ultra powerful, ultra rich people, trying to stuff their pockets with a few extra crores, squeezing the life out of the service class.
Dear politicians, shrewd businessmen and the likes…please take inspiration from the one you seek to serve…the all powerful…Common Man.
