On the Streets

I always asked him to take me around if he was free. He knows all the places that I go to esp. work related. When I was new to Ahmedabad, and I had to go the Ahmedabad Municipal Corporation (AMC) for the first time alone, I had asked him. When my ex-colleague Amit and I had to visit the Urban Health Center we used to ask him to escort us. I remember Amit wanted me to taste the 'maska bun' near the CEPT campus, which indeed turned out to be excellent and reminded me of the 'maska bun' back home at Cafe Good Luck at Good Luck Chowk on F.C Road....hmmm... But that apart. I remember we treated him then. He was our rickshaw driver - Jitu Bhai!

A zillion things that can happen while you are traveling, but seriously, have you ever been treated by a rickshaw driver? Yeah, that is what Jitu Bhai did the other day. After a long time, I had to visit the NGO, and all I remembered was the location - Fatepura, nothing more. I was at my wits end trying to remember more. Thankfully, for me, Jitu Bhai was in his rickshaw outside the campus. He knew the place very well and undoubtedly took me to the place safely. After about an hour, when I was returning, I stopped to have pakoda's at one of the famous places. And as usual offered him some too. Initial protests gave way to acceptance after persistent pleading. And then suddenly he says "Madam aap chai pioge?". That actually made me say "...huh?". He repeated his question and added "campus ke paas bohut achi chai milti hai". And after considering for a while I conceded to his wishes. Not that I am a chai lover, in fact my friends will second me when I say I hardly ever have tea. But this was different. I knew he would treat me and I wanted to respect that. Respecting other people is important not just to tell them that they are important but more so to tell them that you respect them - as whoever they are. And I knew that treating me with chai was his own little way of giving me back and I could not overlook that. For years now I believed in the principle of 'Dignity of Labour' and I had to reciprocate back in some way.

He did not let me get down from the rickshaw - served me hot sweet 'adrakwali special' chai which i am sure he would not have had otherwise and we left after having chai. On the streets of Ahmedabad, Jitu Bhai's gesture had touched me deep inside. When I walked through the gates of my room - I smiled; truely!