Namaskar!
A lot of people, and I mean, a LOT of people are under the impression that I totally hate Mumbai. To an extent, you guys are right (though hate is too strong an emotion to feel here). But hang on, don't get so smug yet. True that my love for Mumbai is at a constant decrease, but I see that happening to a lot who have lived in 'Bombay', if you know what I mean. So here, I'll rephrase Lord Byron's quote as: "I love not Mumbai the less, but Bombay more." You need no explanation about what I'm trying to say if you have lived in maximum city for 20 years or more.
So loathe me if you must, but I HAVE to crib about what's happening in Mumbai now. How am I supposed to resist it? But luckily, this is one issue I bet most Mumbaikars are going nuts about, in a bad way. I'm talking about the darned Rickshaw wallahs of course.
This is one class of people who receive the choosiest of abuses from me, each and every day of my life (I'm not sharing which ones). Seriously. What the bloody hell do they want?
First the refuse to take you anywhere you want to go. Then they crib about not getting enough passengers. Then they want to increase the Rickshaw fares. They do increase the Rickshaw fares. They still say no to you to go anywhere. They still crib about not getting enough passengers. So they rig the meters of the ones they do get. But they are still complaining about not earning enough money. So they want to increase Rickshaw fares again. They do it again. But wait a minute, THEY BLOODY WANT TO DO IT AGAIN!
They want to earn 25,000 per month on a job where no prior experience, education qualification, interviews are required. Oh boy, I didn't earn even half of that as a writer, considering I had to apply to a million places despite of having all of the above and more.
If you still haven't heard about it, then you must read about the demands the Rickshaw wallahs and their instigating leader Mr. Sharad Rao (Union leader) is demanding. It is preposterous. There is no other word for it. When I read about what all they were asking for, my first reaction was to abuse, but then when the list went on, I couldn't help but laugh. And laugh I did for 20 minutes flat. Moreover, the Rickshaw wallahs are angry BECAUSE the R.T.O. caught them with rigged meters and are asking them to replace it? Something like this could only have happened in a country like ours, with the Government not being able to do much due to fear of putting a whole sector of votes in jeopardy before the election; and the R.T.O. too tensed and confused about what to do with people they can book guilty and send to jail.
Anyway, here are a few of their demands you might have missed, from my angle:
1) Government Employee status (which obviously includes pension, gratuity, health insurance, et al): Like we need more people like our Politicians in the government: uneducated, rich vagabonds plying on our extremely hard earned salary and taxes.
2) Ply Rickshaw on a shared basis: So that instead of taking the BEST, you travel from stop to stop in a Rickshaw.
3)Minimum mandatory income of 25,000/pm: For their par excellence educational and professional experience. *smirk*
4)Annual Fare revisions: Like they need that after earning 25,000/pm. Basically, this rule would ensure that in 5 years' time, Rickshaw service would be like that of a BEST bus and the fare would like that of a cab in New York. Mm Hmm...
5)Permission to go anywhere in the city: Dear Townies, are you ready? *evil laugh*
So if these very understandable demands of noble, hard-working Rickshaw wallahs aren't met by November 9, be ready with deodorants and pepper sprays to travel by train and buses; because my dear friend, you aren't getting the 3-seater vehicle ride after that. Or if you or mummy-puppa can afford it, time to buy that mouse-like Tata Nano.
Meanwhile, I am sticking to my No-Rickshaw-Come-What-May resolution. Fare badana hai, badhao. Nahi jaana hai, mat jao. It's them who won't be earning a thing if people don't use the rickshaw. And I have done my time spending hours, standing on the street getting no Rickshaw ride and paying much more than deserved due to tampered meters.
I hope Mr. Sharad Rao and his extra-irritating league of Rickshaw men find some sense. Or no passengers, poverty, realization, guilt and regret.
Au Revoir,
Miss Bee.
I tweet on: http://twitter.com/#!/DevikaBharadwaj
My website: http://www.shoestopper.com/
A lot of people, and I mean, a LOT of people are under the impression that I totally hate Mumbai. To an extent, you guys are right (though hate is too strong an emotion to feel here). But hang on, don't get so smug yet. True that my love for Mumbai is at a constant decrease, but I see that happening to a lot who have lived in 'Bombay', if you know what I mean. So here, I'll rephrase Lord Byron's quote as: "I love not Mumbai the less, but Bombay more." You need no explanation about what I'm trying to say if you have lived in maximum city for 20 years or more.
So loathe me if you must, but I HAVE to crib about what's happening in Mumbai now. How am I supposed to resist it? But luckily, this is one issue I bet most Mumbaikars are going nuts about, in a bad way. I'm talking about the darned Rickshaw wallahs of course.
This is one class of people who receive the choosiest of abuses from me, each and every day of my life (I'm not sharing which ones). Seriously. What the bloody hell do they want?
First the refuse to take you anywhere you want to go. Then they crib about not getting enough passengers. Then they want to increase the Rickshaw fares. They do increase the Rickshaw fares. They still say no to you to go anywhere. They still crib about not getting enough passengers. So they rig the meters of the ones they do get. But they are still complaining about not earning enough money. So they want to increase Rickshaw fares again. They do it again. But wait a minute, THEY BLOODY WANT TO DO IT AGAIN!
They want to earn 25,000 per month on a job where no prior experience, education qualification, interviews are required. Oh boy, I didn't earn even half of that as a writer, considering I had to apply to a million places despite of having all of the above and more.
If you still haven't heard about it, then you must read about the demands the Rickshaw wallahs and their instigating leader Mr. Sharad Rao (Union leader) is demanding. It is preposterous. There is no other word for it. When I read about what all they were asking for, my first reaction was to abuse, but then when the list went on, I couldn't help but laugh. And laugh I did for 20 minutes flat. Moreover, the Rickshaw wallahs are angry BECAUSE the R.T.O. caught them with rigged meters and are asking them to replace it? Something like this could only have happened in a country like ours, with the Government not being able to do much due to fear of putting a whole sector of votes in jeopardy before the election; and the R.T.O. too tensed and confused about what to do with people they can book guilty and send to jail.
Anyway, here are a few of their demands you might have missed, from my angle:
1) Government Employee status (which obviously includes pension, gratuity, health insurance, et al): Like we need more people like our Politicians in the government: uneducated, rich vagabonds plying on our extremely hard earned salary and taxes.
2) Ply Rickshaw on a shared basis: So that instead of taking the BEST, you travel from stop to stop in a Rickshaw.
3)Minimum mandatory income of 25,000/pm: For their par excellence educational and professional experience. *smirk*
4)Annual Fare revisions: Like they need that after earning 25,000/pm. Basically, this rule would ensure that in 5 years' time, Rickshaw service would be like that of a BEST bus and the fare would like that of a cab in New York. Mm Hmm...
5)Permission to go anywhere in the city: Dear Townies, are you ready? *evil laugh*
So if these very understandable demands of noble, hard-working Rickshaw wallahs aren't met by November 9, be ready with deodorants and pepper sprays to travel by train and buses; because my dear friend, you aren't getting the 3-seater vehicle ride after that. Or if you or mummy-puppa can afford it, time to buy that mouse-like Tata Nano.
Meanwhile, I am sticking to my No-Rickshaw-Come-What-May resolution. Fare badana hai, badhao. Nahi jaana hai, mat jao. It's them who won't be earning a thing if people don't use the rickshaw. And I have done my time spending hours, standing on the street getting no Rickshaw ride and paying much more than deserved due to tampered meters.
I hope Mr. Sharad Rao and his extra-irritating league of Rickshaw men find some sense. Or no passengers, poverty, realization, guilt and regret.
Au Revoir,
Miss Bee.
I tweet on: http://twitter.com/#!/DevikaBharadwaj
My website: http://www.shoestopper.com/
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