Three Rides - Three Stories

A few days back three back-to-back rickshaw rides in Mumbai were strangely interesting. All the last three drivers were either born in Bengal or have a Bong Connection.

The First Ride – Hearing us speak in Bengali suddenly the driver gentleman who looked into his mid-fifties started reciting a few lines from Rabindranath Tagore’s “Sahoj Path”. Surprising us, he then started talking in Bengali and he was on this nostalgic trip of his own. This person was born in Kolkata and he spoke about the riding India’s first metro when it started in the 1980’s. His tram rides from Tollygunge to Gariahat. The cinema halls of Bhawanipore, the food, the culture, politics, his childhood memories of the city and what not. For me too it was a journey into my childhood. What a lovely ride we had.

The Second Ride – Hearing me speak in Bengali over the phone the driver gentleman started speaking in Bengali. Another surprise for me. This man who seemed to be in his mid-forties comes from a village in Malda, West Bengal. He had an interesting story. Long back he ran away from home with his mother’s jewellery and landed in Mumbai. He wanted to become an actor. He started working at some hotel and managed to meet one casting agent who made him believe that for acting he first needs to have an artist’s card. The card would cost ₹50,000 and this fellow arranged that money and gave him only to find that the agent and the agent’s office somewhere in Goregaon vanish. Heart broken and after a few tries he finally gave up his dream and bought an auto-rickshaw which he drives. He has also booked his “kholi” (room / flat) and will soon shift. His family is back in the village and he plans to bring his children and wife to Mumbai permanently. His father had visited once but didn’t like the city much. He enjoys his trips to Malda but admits he can’t stay more than 5-6 days. He loves hilsa and is concerned about the illegal migration of Bangladeshis in Mumbai. He said he witnessed a few being arrested very recently. A thoughtful journey for me.

The Third Ride – We had stopped the rickshaw as I went out to pick up something and, on my return, Ananya tells me that this gentleman understands Bengali as he drove a taxi in Kolkata for 6-7 years. Not much details but he left Kolkata because he couldn’t drive at night due to lack of passengers and hence, he found Mumbai to the ideal location as he loves driving at night.

Life is a journey and a celebration. I will relish these three experiences for long. If you have reached the end do share your experiences in the comments.