A Memorable OLA Bike Ride

 

It was getting dark. Usually north east in India gets dark very early compared to other states. I was coming back from the famous Kamakhya temple. It was 1st January 2022 that day. There was too  much of a rush and crowd up there. I had to reach Guwahati airport in next few hours. I was looking for a taxi. Half an hour had passed but I couldn’t locate any OLA or Uber car. The local tempos ( three wheeler ones) were all filled more than their capacities. My mind had started calculating already the speed required to walk all the way to the airport with my backpack and another smaller bag on. I kept on looking for a taxi. With every passing minute now, I was getting anxious. I didn’t want the first day of the year to end up on this note that I miss my flight.

I started looking at drivers with pleading eyes now. Nothing helped. I started walking down. Your mind thinks more when you walk. I had started thinking answers to weird questions like - What if I miss my flight, what if I meet with an accident on the way, what if I collapse with the load on, and many other such questions.

I had barely walked for 200 metres around, I heard someone calling me “Bhaiya, kaha Janu hai? I could hardly move my head, so I moved my whole body around to see who he was. A middle-aged man with tired face and half grey hair, wearing old full sleeve shirt, sitting on an old Splendour Plus with lights on was looking at me. I stopped and walked towards him. “Airport”, I could only utter one word, my destination. He looked into my eyes and had probably sensed my desperation to reach airport. “ Aaiyye bhaiya, apko pahuchate hai. Lenin 350 repaya lagega aur booking ke bina hee Jana hoga”, he said. I realised he was an OLA bike driver who wanted to earn some more money by not booking the ride online. I wanted to argue, but my situation did not allow that.

I kept on thinking about myself. We generally don’t think about these people. They are only the means to reach from one place to another. That’s it. We hardly speak to them. Many a times, we have even given them 2- star rating for reaching few minutes late. Several times, we hardly converse because of language barrier. We hardly care who they are! And why should we? How does it matter anyways, if he is Mohan or Rahim. It doesn’t. But have we ever tried to speak to them and find out what happens in their lives?

I hopped on the only seat available. He gave me a helmet to put on which I felt too light to be called a helmet. That helmet could never have saved my life, if I had fallen off. So, instead I was holding the seat properly to save my life. But then probably, the helmet served the purpose of escaping from police. They obviously never check the quality of the helmet. 

We were moving through the crowd, it was cold, despite the jacket that I was putting on. The OLA driver, I realised, had no jacket and he was the one sitting on the driver’s seat exposed to the wind. I wondered why he didn’t show any sign of feeling cold the way I did. Or may be, I perceived it that way. 

He started talking after few kilometres.

He - Sahi din mandir ghumne aaye hai bhaiya. Aaj Saal ka Pehla din hai.

Me - Wahi soch ke aaya hun bhaiya. Waise apka naam  Kya hai? 

He - Pervez 

Me - Assam ke he ho kya?

Pervez - nhi bhaiya, Baap -dada log aaye the bahot pehle, tabse idhar hee settle ho Gaye hain.

Me - ye OLA bike ka Kaam toh aap apne  sheher mei bhi kr sakte the .

( I had picked up his talking style already)

Pervez - nhi bhaiya. Hamlog UP ke hain waise. Logo ko waha lagta hai ki Guwahati mei hamlog achha paisa Kama rahe hai. Isliye idhar hee  thik hai. 

Me - kitna kama lete ho bhaiya?

Pervez - 300-400 per day. Chhote chhote trips kr lete hai bhaiya. 30-40 repaya per trip. Usmei 100-150 petrol ka Kharcha nikal lijiye. 

The mathematician in me had already started calculating his monthly salary. And I realised that he hardly earned for a living. I wasn’t even sure if he had school going kids as well, because that would make his life even tougher.

Me - bhaiya ghar mei Kaun kaun hai? Aap aur bhabhi? ( i don’t know why did I use the word bhabhi, i had known him for 15-20 minutes)

Pervez - Ek chhota bachha bhi hai. School jaata hai. He laughed with happiness. I realised he was more proud than anxious (like me) of sending his kid to school. 

Me - badhiya bhaiya. Toh sab kaise kr lete ho. ( of course, I meant financially)

Pervez - Thada khich-khanch ke sab ho jaata hai. Ab problem kiske life mei nhi hai. Bss khush reh lete hain.

I was completely speechless. I was not sure if I would be happy in his shoes. I kept thinking over this. My mind still calculating. 

Me - toh bhaiya, aaj toh naye saal ka pehla din hai. Kitna kamaya?

Pervez - Bhaiya aaj toh kam hee kamaya. 300 Abhi tak. Ab aapko chhod ke ghar jayenge. Madam wait kr rahi hogi na. ( He smiled shyly)

I was again not sure if I would care for her waiting or would have gone for another trip.

He continued, “ aapko pata hai, Meri madam din mei 3-4 baar call kr deti hain. 

Me - kyu bhaiya. Fir toh aapko gussa aata hoga, bike chalate chalate disturb krti hai wo. 

Pervez - arre kya baat kr rhe hai bhaiya. Usko tension hota hai. Bike chalata hu na, toh kahi accident na ho jaaye . 

Me, getting curious in his family affairs- Aisa bola madam ne aapko?

Pervez - nhi bhaiya. Mujhe pata hai. Arre Samajh mei aa jaata hai. ( He gave the same shy smile again)

Tabhi toh mai har baar call utha ke bol deta hu ki thik hu. Aur kabhi kabhi I love you bhi Bol deta hu. He couldn’t control his laugh. I realised he was getting too comfortable with me.

For some reason, I was almost in tears. I couldn’t hold myself.

We had reached airport. He was still talking and was quite happy while I was numb.

Pervez - Ye lo bhaiya, aa gaya airport. 350 huaa aapko. Aur happy new year.

I took out my wallet and started checking the cash I had. I was thinking something, when he interrupted, “ 350 se kam nhi lenge bhaiya”.

I pulled a 500 rupee note and handed over to him.

Me - Bhaiya, 350 aapka huaa , aur baki ke mithai le Lena, aaj new year hai na. I was almost in tears.

Pervez’s smile was suddenly gone looking at me. He suddenly came down from his bike and hugged me. Now, he was in tears too.

Pervez - Happy new year bhaiya. ( He was crying now) . Chaliye jaiye, nhi toh aapka flight chhut jayega.

I couldn’t speak anything. I kept walking towards the main entrance of the airport. I couldn’t look back to see him. I don’t know why but I wanted to go back and hug him again, but did not want to miss my flight either. I kept moving.

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