Sharrayu Aroskar

A birthday start that I did not plan for. I was excited to celebrate this Birthday in India. All what you say its special. Now since it’s so much of a special day I wanted hit the gym before work. So I did a good and happy workout. I moved to the Rickshaw stand to take a Rickshaw home. I just said the destination name and the rickshaw started. I was on the phone with a friend. The whole ride was everything about my birthday, her boy friend etc. etc. 

I reached my destination and the meter said twenty seven rupees. In plain understandable Hindi I said the same. The driver demanded rupees thirty. Honestly or rather by GOD’s grace I earn enough to give away three bucks to a beggar without much reason or even leave it off at a vendor if he’s in crunch for some genuine change. I many a times do that. The only thing here was that I could not find a good enough reason to give away the three bucks. Why should I? I insisted that the driver take rupees twenty seven and leave. The driver said that he did not intend to give me a ride but did so because I was on the phone. The whole thing did not make much sense. I still insisted that he take rupees twenty seven as the meter demanded and leave. I mentioned that it’s my hard earned money and that I don’t give it away without reason. 

The driver shot back using explicit language, which implied that I earn money possibly by other means. I am a strong supporter of living a respectable life regardless of the gender, religion or nationality one comes from. In my head I thought, if this driver in his early forty’s can say this to me, if I leave him unanswered I’ll encourage him to say and do a lot more to someone who is less privileged in determination and resources than I am. I took my bags, got off the vehicle and dialed the police. The driver then claimed that I used explicit language against him in spite of the month of Ramzan. I am in midst of celebrating Ganesh Chaturthi too so this didn’t make much sense to me either. I insisted that he say that in front of the police.

Suddenly the driver had all the change he was refusing to give me earlier. The driver left. I cut the phone call and started the stride to floor seven. In my head I was agitated and angry that I had such a wild start on my birthday. 

I must say that this wasn’t the first argument that I have entered in past one year of my stay in Pune. I think there are rules set by the RTO and rickshaw drivers are required to abide by them under the states law. Almost none of the drivers in Pune are seen wearing a uniform or displaying a badge which he is supposed to. Ideally drivers are not supposed to charge random extra money. In my understanding the tariff rates are many times higher than the petrol cost price and incorporate the expense of a dry or without passenger journey back from the start point. Half return money is charged during random hours of the day when actually the legal time interval is between 12:00 a.m. to 5:00a.m. In case the passenger refuses to pay extra money the high handedness of the driver to bring in religion, festivals and attack the modesty of a woman passenger verbally is not only socially unacceptable but should be punishable under law. If I have experienced this in past one year, I am more than sure that the residents here have experienced it often. What surprises me is the cold nature of the RTO towards these offences. Why aren’t immediate help lines set up to complain about such incidences? Why isn’t enough action taken to curb this menace? Moreover what impression is the city leaving the visitors with? Travel in Pune and you are bound to be cheated? I as a responsible citizen refused to pay more than what was legally bound. I had a male driver talk to me in a disrespectful language. Though I have the vehicle number I refrained from loging a complaint as I am not too sure if he is the only bread winner in the family. More than that I know he is not the only one. He is among that larger population of rickshaw drivers who think laws are meant to be in books and the books are meant to hidden in pockets.

Can the RTO please clean this menace in Pune? Not too sure what is lacking. Is it the evidence or just the will?