Am I smarter than a rickshaw driver

The latest auto rickshaw ride confirmed what I already knew- no matter how smart you think you are, you will always be outsmarted in Delhi.
The frequent traffic jams and stop lights gave me ample of time to engage in a healthy conversation with my auto driver, who was quite amicable and inquisitive....and had strong deductive reasoning I might add.
He enquired about my age, family, job and salary. Then asked, "You earn so well, why don't you get married?"
I told him I don't plan to get married. I wondered if I could steer the conversation and find out his opinions on matters like live-in relationships and pre-marital sex.
But before I could say anything he asked, "Is there a malfunctioning?"
"What?!"
"Is there a Malfunctioning?"
"Oh! No, that is not the reason."
"I have a friend who used to run away from his wife at nights. Then we made him see a doctor and now he doesn't leave his wife even in daytime."
I assured him that everything was functioning quite well.
"I am just saying that some people don't tell because they feel shy about it." He checked me in his back view mirror and then raised his left fist. "If its like this....", he slowly erected his left hand index finger from a loose horizontal position to a tight vertical one, "...it will be like this."
I liked it that he was concerned and that he recommended doctor and not shilajeet. I explained him that there could be reasons besides malfunctioning for not getting married and asked him to consider Atal Bihari Vajpayee for example.
"Atal ji was in love with Indira. She married Feroz and that broke his heart." He went on about Atal ji and Indira's political and love life and then suddenly exclaimed,"Oh I see! Your mehbooba has also married someone else."
It didn't seem wise to confide to him that I have never had a mehbooba. I therefore simply told him that I value freedom highly and marriage seemed binding. I thought he would understand and shut up or more likely, he would not understand and shut up.
"Bhaiya ji, you have completed your education, you have such a good job, what do you want freedom for?"
I am proud of my spontaneity and sophistry. I easily outwit my parents when they say I am naive, or my friends when they say I am gay or my peers when they say I am running away from responsibility. But uptil then, I had never been sincerely asked what I wanted freedom for. I didn't know what to say to him, "...there are so many things to do in life...umm...you know, like seeing the world and...umm... doing adventurous stuff."
We were silent for some time. Perhaps we were both thinking about the point I just made. After a while though he shrugged his shoulders and said with a smile,"You have money and these girls of Delhi these days...they will give you everything without marriage, so I understand."
I was glad that he thought he did.
He stopped the auto right outside the railway station from where I was to catch my train and helped me unload my baggage. I liked the guy a lot and gave him more than the promised fare.
"It will be 200."
"200! We agreed about 120!"
"One of the flyovers was one-way, bhaiya ji. You did not notice as you were busy talking, we took a longer route."
I handed him the money without any arguments and walked slowly towards the station, staring at the floor below, feeling outsmarted.

Comments

  1. That was some conversation you had...glad to know there are people who enjoy solitude...

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  2. well...I must say some of Delhi's auto drivers are really smart as m also one of their victims.....:P

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  3. you should've told him, that your mehbooba went and married someone else because there was a malfunctioning..
    and she took all your money while running away...
    Maybe he would've brought it down to 190!
    :D

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  4. "an" rickshaw driver??? does that carry any hidden meaning??
    excellent post..:) world's worst autowallahs are in Delhi

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  5. After all this , did u ask urself again - what does freedom mean to you and you want freedom for ? Ur answer doesn't seem satisfactory... these things can be fulfilled after marriage too... :)

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  6. haha...
    i remember having almost same conversation with an autowalah in jaipur...he centered the whole thing at the negatives of love marriages...as soon as i settled in the auto, he says "gharwalon ke permission ke bagair shadi mat karna"...??!!!
    ...after a long Q-A session, he said "akele rahna achhi baat nahi hai" and detailed me the condition of "abla naari" in india....he caught me laughing in the mirror and kept his face at a funereal expression for the rest of his journey...
    lucky me..he didn't charge me more..

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  7. you narrate very well. You can say to yourself that the extra 80 rupees were for the experience :) and the material for this blog.

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  8. Funny!!
    That's exactly why i prefer DTC's over autos.

    i'm glad i dropped.
    keep blogging :)

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  9. Oh, your narrative is pretty interesting.
    And, haha! This man is brilliant. :D

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