A Different Kind of Auto-Rickshaw Driver

I was injured and had to visit a friend. I couldn’t find public transport. As a ritual, all the auto-rickshaw drivers offered their kind NO and I was standing like the last tree in the jungle. But one man was watching me and he’s the hero of this story.

He came up to me and offered me a ride. He asked me whether I’d to go to the doctor. I honestly replied that actually, I want to visit a computer doctor rather. He agreed and we reached the destination in a while. Once there, we started talking. I started thanking him for being so good and all of that.

क्या बात कर रहे हो साहेब, ये तो हमारा फ़र्ज़ है |

This was the coolest reply of the week for me. In the times where rarely these auto-rickshaw drivers take the passengers to their destination, there is this man who is taking this ride as his fundamental duty. I was impressed and asked more about him.

He told me that his name is Azam Shaikh and he always makes sure that he takes the passengers to their destination. I offered him his fee and also offered him some more for an experiment called pay-it-forward. 

I explained to him the concept that he has to offer a free ride to the next passenger because I’ve paid for others and so on if they wish to continue. He agreed happily and we shared telephone numbers to share his experience.

I called him up after some days to learn his experience and it was quite good. He felt really happy to give a free ride to two people after me and they agreed to contribute to the experiment. One man got really angry but he said that quite okay as the man couldn’t understand the idea.

It’s really strange how we get connected to strangers in our life and then a new chapter of goodness opens. I believe that whenever the hope is dying, it’s getting dark, there’s a light at the end of the tunnel. Someone, somewhere is always there to hold you; with both hands.

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