MID-TOWN MADNESS

A quest to find out why Mumbai's auto drivers bully the MG Comet

- Manaal Mahatme

Temperatures soaring above 40 degrees, humidity peaking over 80 per cent and the ever-going urban transformation is how the ‘spirit of Mumbai’ was tested this summer. And I have no shame in admitting that it broke my spirit. For a guy who turned up on a two-wheeler everywhere, irrespective of the weather, I found myself praying for the comfort of the air-conditioned cocoon that I have avoided being in for the better part of my 31 years of existence. But I am wise enough to know that this luxury comes at the cost of precious time in Mumbai. So, the solution? A perfect mid-way that spoils me with a roof over my head, and the agility of a two-wheeler — an auto rickshaw.

The three-wheeled marvel, with its serpentine manoeuvres at the hands of its skilled master could take me anywhere in the city in a jiffy. ‘This is probably THE best means of road transport for Mumbai,’ I thought. But then, a bright green ray of hope silently rolled into my life and everything changed. I was the centre of attention at every signal, some viewed my ride with utter disbelief, some admired my choice but there was one set of people that took my set of wheels as a threat — rickshaw drivers.

I never meant any harm to them or their livelihood; the MG Comet and rickshaws are in different leagues, altogether. So, initially the devious looks and the aggressive moves around the Comet puzzled me. Naturally, I needed closure, and so when I confronted Sarfaraz bhai, an auto driver, and asked him why it seemed like the auto rickshaw union wanted me (or the Comet) to stay away from the street, his response seemed that I was asking the obvious. Looking at my blank face, Sarfaraz patiently explained it to me — they saw the Comet as a threat — not to them or their livelihood, but their dominion: the tight, packed streets of Mumbai.