When the 'P' got expensive

I have always maintained that the auto-drivers in Mumbai are one of the best conversationalists in the city. In this damned city where a friendly nod or hello is as scarce as the paneer in the paneer tikka masala of a Government Hostel Mess, these auto-drivers can really alleviate the mood with their run-of-the-mill day to day experiences. He may come from various parts of the country- from within the state or 'outside' ( as some may quote ) ;but there are some typical traits to his personality.With the left leg folded ,the non-stop ruminating of paan and a shirt too hot to be buttoned fully; the knack of how he drives the ancient and cacophonous 3-wheeler vehicle (FYI:They run on a motorcycle engine) with utmost harmony is a mystery !

This monday evening,I came across such a specimen on my ride back home from a friend's. The secret of starting a conversation with such people is to smile as soon as you get in. The first thing he asked me was if I was an engineer. I am not sure if my nerdy spectacles or my bulky bag gave him the hint, actually, to think of it every third person in India is an engineer, so I blame it wholly on demography ! He started to enquire about the latest mobile phones in the market. I told him about a few features he should look for while buying a new phone. He smiled back. Then came out the true story..

Apparently on Sunday morning, he, his 'aurat' and his mother were sitting outside this jewellery store. Sunday being the weekly holiday, he didn't have much work to do and was busy playing with his 5 year old son outside the closed jewellery store . Out of the blue, the store owner and his son came to check on something inside the store. After a few minutes, the owner came out and started peeing on the wall few meters away from the store. The autorickshaw driver's son was playing quite close by and this irked his father. The driver stood up and started screaming at the owner but the owner quietly relieved himself to glory ! He told me that the store had a separate bathroom and toilet inside and the owner acted in such a way just to drive them out of that place.The driver and his family stayed in a shanty near to the store and in the scorching heat, the shanty would get hot enough to cook a tandoori and so they preferred to sit outside.The cool uncaring temperament of the owner piss-ed the driver even more. Unable to handle the insult infront of his family, he started punching the owner. In between the volley of fists, the driver thrust his phone to his son. The son taking this as a signal from his father threw the phone, aiming at the owner's head. Amazingly, the throw hit its target and the victim went grunting back to the store, cursing all the way. The driver said that he had never been more proud of his son. There was a very big smile on his face.

He did not care that his phone broke into a million pieces.
He did not care that it would cost him another 2-3K to buy a new phone.
He did not care that he would have to work overtime for a few weeks to makeup for the loss.
All he cared was that he was proud of his son's 'heroic' stunt which he said made his chest swell up with satisfaction

At the end of the tale reciting it was time for me to say something. I was torn between justifying the store owner's act and driver's take on ethics. The store owner was in a way right in his point that such pavement encroachers were indeed a public nuisance and with the instances of vandalism on a rise, it becomes difficult to trust random people. However his unsanitory uncouth behaviour was not acceptable. On the other hand, the driver's helpless condition is also understandable.

By God's grace, before I could say anything we reached my building and I hopped out of the autorickshaw and paid him off. I told him a few more things about mobile phones and thanked him for the ride. He smiled.

When I walked till my door all I could think was, all said and done, the pee got very expensive for the poor autorickshaw driver. :-P