This blog is for all those brave hearts who have experienced hailing and if lucky travelling in a cab on the streets of Calcutta.
For someone who frequently travels by cabs, I always have a feeling similar to the one I used to have in school when awaiting my results of Hindi (the only subject in which I have the distinction of failing once, in my life). Or, as Forrest Gump would have said if he ever had the misfortune to travel by a cab in Calcutta, it’s like a box of chocolates…you never know what you are gonna get!
And as majority of Calcuttans would agree, more often than not, the box turns out to be empty.
You see, in Calcutta, the tables are well and truly turned the other way.
Let’s visualize an interaction to initiate a cab ride in a Utopian world.
Person wants to travel to a certain place. He hails an empty cab. Cab stops. Person hops on. States destination. Cab starts rolling down the road….happy ending!!!
Now let’s shift gears to Calcutta…
Scenario 1:
Lady hails Cab. Cab slows down but does not really stop. Cab driver looks askance at the lady with eyebrows raised one-eighth of an inch, which would make Jeeves the butler so proud!!
Lady (with a pleading look on her face): Jaaben? (Will you take a fare?)
Cabbie: Kahaan Jaana hain? (Where do you want to go?)
Lady: I want to go to Esplanade.
Cabbie: No, I don’t want to go north. I am travelling down south.
And with that, the cab picks up speed leaves the lady in distress in a haze of black smoke.
Scenario 2:
Know-All hails cab. Cab stops.
Cab Driver: Where do you want to go?
Know-All: South City Mall
Driver: No, there will be a huge traffic jam near the mall. I don’t want to go there.
Know-All: Ok, where do you want to go?
Driver: I am going towards Esplanade. If you want to go any place on that way, get in.
Know-all: Ok, drop me at the PAS Road crossing
Moral of the story: Life is full of small compromises! J
This is something which every Calcuttan has come to accept and live with. Of course, it’s very difficult if not down right impossible, to keep the Calcuttan down for long. So, you have the occasional memorable interactions, which ends up as a anecdote to add spice to many an evening adda.
Take for instance, my friend Yummraj who has this rebellious spirit which refuses to be cowered by the burly cab drivers and their tank like cabs. He simply refuses to state his destination before boarding the cab. Of course, as a result, he usually has to hail not less than half a dozen cabs before he gets a cab driver who takes mercy and agrees to take fare without asking for the destination.
And then there was the rare occasion, when the cabbie was taken off-guard.
Yummraj to Cabbie: Wanna go?
Cabbie: Kidher Jaana hai?
Yummraj: Chand pe jaane ka soch raha tha! Aap chaloge? (I was thinking of going to the moon! Will you go?)
The cabbie had certainly not expected such a reply and broke into laughter: Chand pe?? Thik hai…chaliye…le chalte hain (The moon?? Sure thing. Hop on. I am game. )
Or take the case of my friend Mr. Sen, who in his day-time job goes around as a professor of history. But, come sun down, he puts on his mask and goes around bashing and beating irreverent cab drivers to pulp.
Ok, the last part was an exaggeration. But, believe it or not, he once boarded a cab, and stated his destination. The cab driver, not knowing whom he was dealing with, actually refused!
Mr. Sen, instead of getting out of the cab, quietly took out a book from his bag and started reading. The cab driver tried everything from pleading, cajoling to threatening, but to no avail. Mr. Sen kept on reading.
After some fifteen long minutes, the driver understanding the futility of his attempts pleaded, “Dada, ektu beshi kichu diye deben. Ami apnake nie jachchi.”(Sir, please pay me some extra tip, I will take you to your destination). And so, the cab driver lived to tell his tale to his grand children!
On another occasion, I have personally seen Mr. Sen get out and walk away in the middle of a busy road from a cab in fury, because the driver wanted to take a longer route to the destination. Nothing unusual there. But, Mr. Sen did not even bother to pay the fare, even though half the distance to the destination had already been covered. Even that’s not surprising, for people who know Mr. Sen and his fury. The surprising part to me was that the cab driver did not even attempt to ask for the fare.
Of course, it’s been 10 years since I experienced the event, and I make sure to tease Mr. Sen about the incident at every get together. Of course it helps, that god has been generous in providing nearly 4 stones of additional weight to Mr. Sen than what god gave Know-All! J
I learnt my lesson that day….size always matters! J
So, you will appreciate my concern when I left one of our showrooms near Jodhpur Park (an up market locality in South Calcutta) last Tuesday at around 11:00 p.m. I had to travel to my residence in one of the suburban areas of South Calcutta, a place made famous by a certain cricketer named Sourav Ganguly, who happens to reside there.
Now, it is a locality notorious for its traffic snarls and normally getting a cab in daytime to the place is nothing short of a miracle!
So, with some nervousness, I hailed a cab. And he did not disappoint. He refused point blank. After couple more refusals, I decided to cross the road and started walking towards the major junction of Jadavpur Thana, hoping to get better results.
As I was crossing the road, I noticed a cab standing by. I approached it, half expecting another refusal. The driver was an old man, in his sixties.
Muttering my prayers, I asked: “Chalenge?” (Will you go?)
The Driver, to my surprise actually smiled and said: “Sahab, chalne ki liye to baithe hain. Zaroor chalenge. Baithiye. (I am here to take people around. Of course, I will go! Please get in.)”
With mouth gaping in surprise, I opened the door and hopped on. And when I stated my destination, there was no sign of any displeasure, nor did he ask for any extra tip, a common practice, if you are travelling late at night.
I could not keep myself from blurting out: “It’s really such a nice surprise to find someone who agreed to take a fare without asking for the destination.”
The driver replied, “ Saheb, I ply the cab only at night time. How can I afford to refuse anyone?”
Know-All: You mean, you work all night long?
Driver: Yes Babu. I start my day, or night, at around 8 in the evening. I keep driving till about 5 or 6 in the morning. The owner of the car rents it to another driver for the morning period.
Know-All: Don’t you get tired? Working at night? And is it really financially worth the effort?
Driver: Well, it is tough, and I am not getting any younger. I am already 61. But, then again, I have a large family to feed. I have five sons and one daughter. I have managed to marry off only one of my sons, and the daughter. Financially, some days are good and I manage to earn even four hundred rupees (around 8 dollars). But, on other days, I am not even able to earn enough to pay the car’s rent. 3 of my sons have started earning. So, they discourage me from driving the cab. But, then again, I drive 3-4 days in a week. And, I believe one should keep working as long as the body permits. Keeps the mind alert.
By this time, we had reached my residence and it was time to get off. The fare was an exact 100 rupees. Even though he did not ask for it, I paid a tip of twenty bucks. He thanked me graciously.
