I was woken up by the hard
landing of the Indigo flight on the runway at Mumbai airport at midnight. After
training for 8 hours daily, continuously for five days, I was as tired as one
can be and looking forward to a quick ride home and lots of sleep. I picked up
my baggage and moved to the multiple taxi counters picking one by using the
eeny-meeny-miny-moe method. When my turn arrived, the attendant received a call
from somebody. After answering the call, she asked me whether I am fine with a
lady taxi driver.
In a half asleep mode, I said
yes, but was wondering why did this question arise? I am not averse to lady
drivers. Since childhood, I have seen women in the family drive. There are
quite a few ladies driving in Mumbai, and hence I was wondering about the
appropriateness of this question. I decided to explore this question during the
one hour taxi ride home.
Veena was not a day older than
thirty and had a slim frame. Her figure could give any of the models a run for
their money. She was not just size zero, but maybe a size negative if there is
anything like that. The torrential rain was dripping into her teacup, which she
expertly balanced on her mobile phone in one hand. She offered to take my
suitcase with the other hand. I am sure the suitcase weighed more than her.
Thankfully chivalry is a virtue I have learnt since childhood.
I started having a conversation
with her. Apparently, even single women travelers, refuse cabs driven by ladies.
They don’t seem to be convinced about the driving skills of the lady.
Interestingly a lot of these women, may themselves be driving cars, but don’t
trust a lady cab driver. Hypocrisy is alive and kicking.
Veena’s husband had ditched her
leaving behind three kids. Two years earlier, she used to cook food at people’s
houses. One of the families encouraged her to learn driving, and get a license.
And now here she was driving a rented cab.
Her eldest son who was 9 years,
had failed in school. So she decided to send him to a boarding school, with the
hope that the discipline would help him study. She also wanted to send him away
from her neighborhood, where the local boys would have a bad influence on him.
Her daughter who was 7 years, was sent to a missionary school, as she did not
have time to take care of her. Her younger son of 5 lived with her. The
neighbors took care of the five year kid every day.
Veena dropped me home at 130 in
the night and then would reach her residence by 230- 300 a.m. Then she would
get up in the morning, do the house work and start her car by noon. She has to
pay a sum of 850 rupees to the car company, daily, irrespective of whatever she
earns. A car breakdown, or accident or a political rally, strike will hit her
hard. Over and above this, she has to spend on diesel and then if she makes any
money, she will use it for her household expenses I am sure she would struggle
to save more than 1000 bucks a day… and no weekly off. No support system, no
manager to listen to her grievances. And she was not complaining, she was happy
that she was able to support her family in a dignified manner. She was not
blaming her situation on anybody, no blaming government for increase in diesel
prices or increase in price of dal. She was too busy making two ends meet. I am
sure she starts her day with hope in her eyes and a revenue target. No
corporate employee can ever understand the meaning of revenue targets as Veena
does. Reality bites these people and how.
We as middle class complain about
an increase in service tax by 0.5% sitting in the comfort of our
air-conditioned homes. I now know why we complain - we have time and are
overpaid. We work hard for our living, but do not have to struggle, the way a
common man does. These people are too busy making two ends meet, to think about
Krishi Kalyan Cess or whatever. This girl’s size negative was not due to eating
less carbs and working out, but simply because of forced dieting. I am sure she
skipped a meal or two to ensure that her children got two square meals
After listening to her story,
frankly I had a flurry of emotions. I wondered, whether I will be able to
manage a situation where I lost my job. How will I be able to deal
with deprivation? What happens if so many things which I take for granted, go
away? I was scared!!!
I was ashamed at myself for
complaining about the unfair and unjust (from my perspective) appraisal system
at work. There was a fixed amount coming in the bank at the end of the month, I
had nothing to complain about
That rainy night, Veena taught me
a huge lesson of life – I need to be grateful for what I have. Veena has one quality
which I doubt exists in me – resiliency and the ability to fight back. It was
my biggest motivational lessons ever. Salute to everyone who works hard for a
living.
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