Not hated anymore

Known for being a hateful lot, Chennai auto drivers are considered a standardized specie of rude and arrogant men. Memories of the times when my friends cautioned me about these notorious sorts are still fresh in my mind. “Don’t ever trust them”, “negotiate price properly”, “always drunk” was all that I heard about them back home in Delhi. ‘Anna’, ‘evlo’, ‘romba jaasti’ are the few tamil expressions I was taught to help in negotiating with the auto annas.

Consequently, haggling with the auto drivers everyday, in a language I did not know, was something that I was prepared for.

It was September 16, exam day at Asian College of Journalism, four of us took an auto from our hostel in Mylapore, behind time. As always! I usually keep my cell phone in the back pocket of my jeans. However, that day, in a hurry, I had put it in the front pocket.

After a hurried journey I rushed to the lecture hall the moment I reached college. Suffering from exam anxiety, sitting on the chair, I dug my hand in the pocket and realized that my phone was missing. At that moment Ii struck me, that I must have had dropped it in the auto. It did not take me long to convince myself that I’ll never get my phone back. It was lost.

Still, hoping against hope, I frantically searched my bag. I asked one of my friends to call on my number. The auto guy would have had switched my phone off and thrown the sim card away were the thoughts clouding my mind. The other friend was busy dialing Vodafone to block the account.

After 2 calls, someone answered my phone. It was Malini, my college’s receptionist. I was dumbstruck. Without a word, I rushed down to the reception to collect my phone from her. For me, it was no less than a miracle. I thanked the auto driver a hundred times in my mind and wished he was there at the reception so that I could tell him how grateful I was.

When I saw Malini, I was assured that I am not the only one who cannot buy that this actually happened.

With a stern look, she told me how lucky I was. “This never happens. You are very lucky. Next time you loose it, you will not get it back,” she said.

The auto driver had come back to the college and submitted my phone at the reception despite the fact that we had argued with him over ten rupees. We thought he was rude and called him names. But with all the stereotype notions stuffed in my head, never did I expect him to be so earnest and sincere.

However, at another time and I had taken an auto from Nungambakam to the airport via Mylapore. That was the last day of our first term in college and I was flying back home. Since I was going only for five days and thought that I would not have anything much to carry back home, I had not packed my stuff. I went out for late lunch with my friends to Nungambakam and completely lost track of time.

Halfway through the party, I rushed for the hostel. I took an auto to Mylapore and tried conversing with the auto driver to wait for me for 10 minutes in Mylapore and then take me to the airport. Since I don’t know Tamil, I tried my best to make him understand what exactly I wanted him to do, in English. To my amazement, he responded in Hindi. “Madam aap hindi mein baat karo. Main samajhta hai,” (Madam, you talk in Hindi. I can understand it) he said.

I was told that all auto drivers here speak only in Tamil and they hate Hindi speaking people.

I couldn’t resist being curios and asked him if he’s from somewhere outside Tamil Nadu. He was a Tamilian and had always stayed here. He smiled and said that he can speak in four languages; Hindi being one of them. He could understand English but couldn’t speak it well. So it would be nice if I talk to him in Hindi. I was overjoyed.

I got down at Mylapore and gave him the unfair fare, assuming that maybe he won’t wait. Maybe he doesn’t trust me. He may get some other customer and would want to go. Instead, he flashed his pearl white teeth again and said he would wait for me and will take the money once he drops me at the airport.

Wow. It would save me the time catching another auto. He advised me to rush up as we may find bottle necks on our way. I rushed up to the hostel and hurriedly packed my bags. He waited for me for almost 20 minutes. I came loaded with my 2 heavy bags. He came forward and carried one of my bags to the auto.

The moment I got into the auto, he said, “Madam sarra urgent samman rakh liya na? Ticket…passport..? Ek baar check kar lo.” (Madam, have you kept all the urgent things you need? Your ticket and passport. Just check once.) These words usually come from my mother. And are the most irritating, I must say, especially when one is in a rush. But coming from an unexpected person when you least expect it, brought a smile to my face.

If this was not enough, he switched on the music system and Alka Yagnik’s mesmerizing voice filled my ears, he played the popular Bollywood movie Taal’s songs, in HINDI. What more could I ask for!

He dropped me safely to the airport, on time. And guess what! He gave me a discount of ten rupees as well. This is one of the rare sweet memories that I will always carry in my little joy bag for the rest of my life.

These are perhaps the only two auto incidents I’ve had in Chennai, which, when I remember, I don’t make a grumpy face. And yes, now I do not hesitate to stand up in this “specie’s” defence.