On Father's Day, an Auto Ride
Sundays are meant to render the indolent side of my many personas. That tendency was only deepened by Chennai's first spell of South-West monsoon rains, drenching the city all over. But I had already been at home the entire day on Saturday - so there was a definitive element of boredom that had creeped in as well. Weighing whether to cozy up further or treat myself to a sumptuous evening meal at Phoenix Marketcity mall (not too far from my residence), I settled for the latter. After all - food is an instantaneous mood booster!
Once ready I tried to look up for autorickshaws via the Rapido platform. Soon after I was assigned a ride with Shyam Sunder. I was mentally prepared to wage another verbal duel to combat the partner's ask for an exorbitant 'extra' fare, but to my surprise there was none of that. All he did was drop an innocuous 'please do not cancel the ride - I'm on the way!' message. And within a couple more minutes, he had already arrived at my apartment complex, waiting to ferry me to Phoenix.
He greeted me when I boarded - and I reciprocated. It is unfortunately not so common in India for riders and the drivers to exchange pleasantries at the start of a ride. It was comfortably disarming to see the etiquette being respected. Soon into the ride, he initiated a conversation in Tamil, and I tried my best to infer what he said. Realizing I'm not a native, he switched to English to converse.
Shyam anna initiated the conversation by thanking me for not cancelling the ride. He says that many a times, customers cancel at the last minute because they have options - while he has to wade through traffic, junction points and the mad chaos of Indian streets. To be fair, I am guilty of it myself - but that is both the bane and boon of app-based consumerism. It was his fifth ride of the day but emphasized that he has to cover a lot more to make a fair margin for himself. Curious, I pressed him to know how he operates, and when his day usually starts.
That is when he revealed that he has a daughter - currently enrolled in the tenth grade in a State Board-affiliated school. He could not send his daughter to school over the last couple of weeks as he was out of work over the last month. The auto he drives around is on rent from an owner - and the earlier owner had asked him to temporarily return the auto for some work but never returned it to him. It was only today that he had managed to secure another auto on rent - from what he calls is a kind gentleman via a mutual friend - for a sum of ₹300 a day, exclusive of LPG fares. Whatever he makes above that sum is his to take.
His daughter wants to visit school tomorrow, being the start to another week. He desperately wants to ensure the same but regrets his fate for not being able to provide for her needs. The books total a sum of four thousand rupees, which is significant for the family. I asked if he could borrow last year's books from a senior student - no, the school only allows the latest editions. Could the school ease the burden some other way? They had; he could pay fees in installments, but the books were non-negotiable.
Think about it for a moment - a sum of ₹4000 is a deal breaker for Shyam anna. It was Father's Day, and his version of marking it wasn't a gift or a gesture - it was the quiet, grinding logistics of trying to get his daughter to school tomorrow. I am privileged enough to be working and earning every month. While every spend does involve my discretion - I would not mind spending ₹4000 on a short weekend trip, or a fine-dining experience, or the likes of a mid-range perfume. And yet here was a man who couldn't see how he'd find four thousand rupees so his daughter could keep learning.
There was no way for me to know whether his story was genuine or he made up one. Unfortunate as it is, we are a low-trust society due to the prevalence of many people who make a living fabricating stories and playing with trust. My instincts however let me believe his side of the story. I paid double the displayed fare, to add to whatever he could earn for the day. Doubling a fare does not affect me as much as it might help his evening aggregates. And if it could help send his daughter to school, even in the slightest way - I would be a happy soul.