This one is for all those people who have had the experience of traveling by an auto rickshaw. For those who haven't, you have really missed practicing one of those things that Indians are best at-bargaining. For those who have, it might be some entertainment reading my experience with auto rickshaw drivers in 4 different cities - cities of some significance. Starting with our capital, Delhi, this is the place where the rickshaw drivers have the most gumption of all. After all it does take lots of guts to go around with an auto that has no meter in it. So, the first thing that you ask an auto rickshaw driver after telling him your destination is the fare (provided he agreed to drive you there). If you are smug about having found a vehicle a meter, don't be too happy coz in most likelihood you will be told that it does not work. Wonder how no one bothers to check that meters are working when these autos get serviced. After haggling on the fare for a while, getting as rude as you can get, you finally get into the rickshaw, feeling like you have just won a battle and praying that the auto driver doesn't change his mind about the fare by the time you reach! Oh, by the way, I just heard that they started a new club of honest rickshaw drivers in Delhi. Will pray that it works. After all our capital deserves that much!!!
The day I moved from Delhi to Mumbai, I was in for a pleasant surprise. On my first day of travel by public transport, I asked an autowallah to take me to Santacruz. Out of habit, my next statement was "kitna loge" (how much). It came as a shock when he said "meter se" (by the meter). During my ride, I convinced myself that it was just a once in a while thing and congratulated myself on having found an honest driver on the first day itself. The same thing happened the next day and the next and the next, till I finally got used to the fact that finally here was a place where you could get into a rick (that's the Mumbai lingo) without haggling on the fare, without bothering whether the auto wallah would agree to drive you to your destination, and without having to speak rudely. Sounds like heaven...Nope that was Aamchi Mumbai...
From Mumbai, life took me to Pune, and here I was reminded of my Delhi days. Difference, these ricks had meters, which worked too...BUT (there's always one of these), no auto driver would agree to go by the meter. So back to haggling on the fare, albeit in a more civilised lingo. Oh! And if your destination happens to be one of the IT parks then be prepared to pay double fare, no haggling required, because there is no sense in doing so. Their usual reason for not going to any place is that they don't get a return fare...well, obviously, since they r too pricey to take the "sawari"'s!!!
When my parents moved to Bangalore, I came in contact with a totally different kind of auto-wallahs. Their uniqueness lies in their absolute lack of interest. Don't ever be surprised if you ask an auto driver to drive u to some destination and are met with a blank stare, and then you see the auto fellow driving off without even the courtesy to say yes or no. Well, that's the way it is. And off course, if you don't belong to Bangalore, then be ready to be fleeced!!Off course, All these places have their share of good points too. In Delhi, for instance, you will never get bored, coz the auto-fellow will keep up a conversation throughout the way, and you will get to hear all the latest buzz of the town. Mumbai, well, the very fact that they r going by the meter is more than enuf. Pune, you will never get lost, wherever your destination might be, once you are in the auto, you can trust the auto-wallah to take you there by the shortest route. And in Bangalore, trust the auto-fellow to take you safely through the worst kind of traffic and traffic-jams.
I am yet to travel to the eastern part of the country, but be sure I will update this blog once I do so...:)
Disclaimer: This blog is not meant to hurt the sentiments of people belonging to any of these cities. I belong to all of them, so I do not mean offense to anyone in particular...

If I had wings,
I would fly towards the horizon
Floating over white cushions
Their covers streaked in gray

If I had arms as wide as the earth
I would hug the hills to me
Resplendent in its green robes
Decked with cascades of shining silver

If I had lungs that were infinite
I would fill it with the fragrance of greens
The perfume of the wet rocks
And the veils of hanging mist

These were the words that came to my mind as we traversed our way through the clouds that hung thickly over the hills, rising green, forming dark crevices, hiding innumerable small rivulets, streams and cascades of water in their shadows. When Shah Jahan said, “If there is a Heaven it is here”, he surely couldn’t have meant only Kashmir. Heaven indeed is on earth, you just need the eyes to see it. You surely couldn’t drive through hills towering green on one side and a misty lake on the other side, with the spray of light rain on your face, in Heaven!

Beginning at the beginning, we are talking of our line event here. After weeks of discussions, varied opinions, innumerable polls, preparations and cancellations, we zeroed on a one day trip to an eco camp on the river Kundalika, located in Kolad. The highlight of the trip...kayaking. We set off at 6 in the morning, did some Pune darshan, picking up people from different places, even waking up some people from their sleep, finally leaving Pune at 7.30 a.m. It took us all some time to get out of our sleep modes and start off with the all time favorite bus game – antakshari, only deviation from the usual being, Tamil songs were also allowed. So we did have a great 2 words’ song from Siva and a really good attempt from Rajesh :) After a while this got boring, so Dinu came up with the idea of each person talking about his/her funniest incident in Amdocs, which soon got morphed into each person reminiscing about funny incidents in his/her life (read that college life). So we heard about Bruce Lee in Andhra, funny nicknames, teachers on mopeds, ragging sessions and many more, about which we should just keep “Shhhh…” :) Soon the surroundings became too beautiful to be ignored and everyone’s attention was diverted to the scenery all around us. Driving through hills covered in clouds we emerged on to the other side of the ghats. After a while we reached the jetty where we were met by the boat that would take us across the river to the eco camp that was our destination, Rivertrail.

The day at the camp started off with a late breakfast, after which everyone changed into “kayaking” clothes. This was followed by a training session on handling the paddles and getting in and out of a kayak – K2 as we now know it. It’s a wonder that a 10 feet long 1.5 feet broad (at its max) boat can actually take so much weight! Well, this seemed easy; as long as the kayak didn’t topple over in water (which of course the trainer and organizer did their best to convince would not happen). And then after this short training session, we were finally in water. A round of kayaking guided by trainers and then, for those who dared it, kayaking alone, during which Rajesh went off, apparently in search of mobile network, which he seemed to have found upstream near the rapids! Kayaking was followed by lunch. After the morning’s exercise, the excellent lunch and the warm afternoon, the general mood was to doze off in the comfortable chairs of the ‘machan’ which served as the dining room.

The afternoon started off with everyone heading towards the river for river-crossing. This, at first, looked a simple task, especially when we were told that the river at that point was “only” 3 feet deep. But exactly how easy it was, we found out only when we entered the water. The current was strong enough to wash away a person who did not have the rope or swimming skills for support. But once everyone got over their initial fears and apprehensions of water, the one hour passed off as quick as lightning.

Against our wishes, we all returned to the camp after the river-crossing activity. Here, a snake awareness program was on and we lazed around in the late afternoon sun learning what we could about snakes and watching a venomous cobra trying it’s best to bite the snake trainer’s shoe off! After tea and a round of thanks to the organizers we set off on our journey back home. Another beautiful drive through the hills bathed in the light of the setting sun filtered through clouds, a short halt at a waterfall, a relaxed dinner at Garden Court and the day was finally over. A short, sweet and pleasant day that exposed us to some of the beauty this country hides. Truly India needs to be explored to understand its hidden treasures of nature so that we can claim this paradise to be ours for years to come. A day that will be always be remembered with a smile. :)