With Uber, the entire face of transportation is changing in India but one thing remains the same. That of the little yellow auto rickshaw! It’s still one of my favourite ways to get around the city. They weave in and out of the traffic with amazing speed and seem to find a gaps that never existed.

You meet some of the most lovely human beings also. Yesterday, I had gone for a haircut and took an auto rickshaw to get there. My driver, Murugan, was polite and gentle. He turned the fare metre on for me. He waiting for 5 minutes whilst I wolfed own some coconut water. And he accepted his fee of 60 rupees (just over 1 Oz dollar) gratefully. Similarly he works hard during the day to make sufficient income to put food on the table and send his kids to school.

The care with which he looked after his rick was also quite touching. He had a small photo of his favourite god Ganesha on one side and another of Lakshmi the wealth goddess on the other side with a few flowers and a fragrant stick of incense burning. His life was very basic and simple and I’m sure he had plenty of challenges. I can’t imagine driving a rickshaw in the blaring hot Madras summers. But through whatever difficulties and hardships he had to face on a daily basis, he remained calm and peaceful and had immense gratitude for life.

In the West we find so much to whinge about! I’m sure we can all learn a thing or two about life from the Murugan’s of the world.

Be Well

In Health and Wellness