Friday Thoughts: Share Auto

[caption id="attachment_269" align="aligncenter" width="588"] Cartoon published in http://www.thehindu.com/features/metroplus/a-ride-on-the-wild-side/article4361458.ece[/caption]

I love traveling by share auto in any city and often write about the people I meet and the various experiences in the auto. Below is a compilation of microblogs I have written on share autos in Hyderabad. Enjoy!

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Hyderabad 7-seaters (make that 10-seaters and sometimes 12-seaters) are unique creatures. While in Chennai share autos you need to lose weight to squeeze in, in Hyd you need to both lose weight and develop strong muscles (biceps, shoulder and yes, good ankle and calf muscles too) to maintain balance and stay inside the vehicle. What makes it bearable are moments when you burst out laughing at your predicament and the whole auto full of women join in the giggle. And then there are sunsets that you glimpse from the open window in the back that somehow eases the stress, basks your heart and urges you to say--ok, I take lite...

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Dear Hyderabadi girl, it was mesmerizing to watch you meticulously, patiently and gracefully tie the head-scarf this evening in a packed seven-seater in a crowded Nagole road.

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I, like many others, have always wanted to be a "looker." Today, I was doled that with a twist. I caught the fancy of an 8-month-old kid in a share auto. She sat, staring at me transfixed, much to the delight of her parents who now basically had a tranquil kid. Encouragingly, the mother cooed "She is a good-looking aunty, huh?" I sat ecstatic. Till it was time for me to get out at my stop. The infant let out one loud angry yelp and scrunched up her face for something worser. I panicked. Her parents panicked further and looked at me miserably. So did others in the auto. Ok. Lesson learnt. I no longer want to be a "looker."

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Reflections on a crowded seven-seater: My friend and colleague Vidya had pointed out sometime back that Hyderabad seven-seaters are more like ten-seaters. May I add—sometimes 12-13 seaters! And it is uncomfortable. I once even fell off one such vehicle in my initials days in Hyderabad.  But then I began reflecting on it. Why do they load so many people? Because they have to balance accounts and make some income out of it. Remember, running the vehicle so many times a day also means more wear and tear and associated repair expenses. Then, one may ask—why don’t they increase fares? Instead of Rs 8/- that I pay for my route (in a private auto the same distance costs Rs 40/-), they could make it Rs 10/- or Rs 12/-. But they don’t. Why? Because along with me, vegetable sellers, flower sellers, construction labourers, small-business workers also use the same transport. And they can’t afford the increased fares. So I have a choice—I can take a private auto if I want comfort or learn to be with others as they struggle through the day. I choose the moment when I can briefly lose class.

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A 55-Fiction

Veterans

Boys hang on the side of the seven-seater. Like a film hero. Mother grins. It’s been a long day cleaning houses.
Jahanvi remembers. The day the door opened. Of a speeding car. An argument. Head on the pavement. Blood afterwards.
“Pl ask them to sit.”
“It is ok,” Mother is amused. She is a veteran.