Wondering what the title is all about? Let me not keep it a suspense. Its all about our very own "shared autos" :-)
These are not so uncommon right? Well, a trip to Bangalore, especially the areas where there is a large IT population, schools and colleges, and you will understand why I am writing this! Better, be forced to live and work here and you will definitely find out!
I regularly take the shared autos to reach the main road which is about 2-2.5 kms from my workplace and vice-versa to reach the workplace in the morning from the main road. The same applies to reach my home from the bus stop which is about 1.5 kms. I know its a bit too much considering the fact that I own a car! But its too dangerous to drive on the highway during the work hours especially in the "oh so famous Bangalore city traffic". So its either the car or the chaos-on-wheels!! Like everything else you have to experience them to believe!
Take a medium sized auto where usually 3 healthy people (sometimes 4 if you are slim) can sit comfortably. Now, stuff such an auto with 5 people in the back with their bag, baggage and everything and 2 people in the front on either side of the driver (sometimes if this were not enough, the drivers even push school kids inside the chaos), add some dink-chak dink-chak music and bingo - you have your shared auto...everything fits and how! The "shared" part of the auto comes from the fact that there needs to be more than one person inside for the driver to start! So, here, unfortunately more than one person equals a minimum of seven!! So, a half empty auto always angles near each pedestrian especially the women almost intimidating them to get into the auto. No amount of pleading or coaxing will get the driver to move a bit faster.Time constraints?? Whatever is that???
The only mantra on which these shared auto guys operate is - "Must pick up passenger and stuff him/her inside" :-)
These are not so uncommon right? Well, a trip to Bangalore, especially the areas where there is a large IT population, schools and colleges, and you will understand why I am writing this! Better, be forced to live and work here and you will definitely find out!
I regularly take the shared autos to reach the main road which is about 2-2.5 kms from my workplace and vice-versa to reach the workplace in the morning from the main road. The same applies to reach my home from the bus stop which is about 1.5 kms. I know its a bit too much considering the fact that I own a car! But its too dangerous to drive on the highway during the work hours especially in the "oh so famous Bangalore city traffic". So its either the car or the chaos-on-wheels!! Like everything else you have to experience them to believe!
Take a medium sized auto where usually 3 healthy people (sometimes 4 if you are slim) can sit comfortably. Now, stuff such an auto with 5 people in the back with their bag, baggage and everything and 2 people in the front on either side of the driver (sometimes if this were not enough, the drivers even push school kids inside the chaos), add some dink-chak dink-chak music and bingo - you have your shared auto...everything fits and how! The "shared" part of the auto comes from the fact that there needs to be more than one person inside for the driver to start! So, here, unfortunately more than one person equals a minimum of seven!! So, a half empty auto always angles near each pedestrian especially the women almost intimidating them to get into the auto. No amount of pleading or coaxing will get the driver to move a bit faster.Time constraints?? Whatever is that???
The only mantra on which these shared auto guys operate is - "Must pick up passenger and stuff him/her inside" :-)
No comments:
Post a Comment