auto blog

today i waited in the rain hoping to find an auto, for twenty dreadful minutes. 7 pm. the drizzle is worse than when it comes down hard. its all prickley and irritating. and ONLY about 3287463 autos drove past me. empty, looking out at all us sad miserably drenched people, and NOT giving us a ride back home. each one sticking his head out of his auto and scanning me to test if im worthy enough to be given a ride..no matter that the auto is empty and he's headed in the same direction i want to go, and it is raining and sometimes it is nice to be helpful.

twenty minutes passed, after which i decided i was wet enough to walk home. so i began walking. which is no fun in baggy jeans and 7 year old floaters. it was like not wearing shoes at all, and having buckets of water tied to my feet. not pretty. im really beginning to despise this city, the roads, the traffic and THE AUTOS. they cost more than cabs in bombay do, and they never want to go where you want to, and they're always looking to rip you off. like they're some luxury mode of transport we've been blessed with.

so iv walked a good distance, and im cursing everything and everyone in sight. when this lone dhinchak auto drives by. i say 'malleswaram?' and he says 'ok. 30 bucks?'. now the normal fair from work to home is about 17-19 bucks, and having walked almost half the way myself i didnt see why i needed to spend 30 bucks on the other half. but it was raining pretty bad by then, so i didnt waste time bargaining. i agreed. i repeat: i HATE autos. they're utterly useless and yet im such an auto-slave.

so we get home finally, after nearly killing a few two-wheeler riders, who came to a screeching skidding halt inches away from my disco-on-3-wheels, since he seemed to think he was auto raja..and was really pushing it. at home i had him a 50 rupee note, cusing him under my breath and squinting to see him in glow of the neon tubelight inside the auto. then somes the classic 'change illa maaaa'..so yay, there i was still quite rained out, standing around wondering what to do next. he wasnt moving his butt, so i agreed to go get him change from home. i get to the elevator and someone has forgottn to shut the door somewhere. the next thing you know, im springting up the stairs in jeans that are now stuck to my legs, which isnt making it any easier. get him his change. downstairs as i hand him exactly 3, 10 rupee notes, he looks at me and says 'wow so you did come back today, i was beginning to wonder' ...the creep!

im going to say a sincere prayer today that the day must come soon, when autos will have to roam the city begging for people to ride with them, and go where they want to go..and people like me will look in glee and say fuck off.