IMRAN

 

I was coming back from Dehradun to Delhi. The trip was really calm and uneventful, with most of the seats vacant. It was around 4 p.m. when the bus dropped me at the entrance of Kashmiri Gate.

I tried for an Uber, but it was a busy time, and I waited for almost 20 minutes. In the background, there was an announcement on the loudspeaker about public safety, asking people to keep their baggage and mobile phones safe.

I wondered why we needed such announcements when, as a nation, we could perhaps find the root cause of the problem and find a solution that empowers people not to resort to crime, but to become part of a collective good.

Maybe it was a fool's illusion, a utopian divergence, or just wishful thinking.

The thought passed through my mind with the rushing crowd and the raging vehicles.

I had to find a ride.

In front of me, there were a lot of autos standing. Some drivers were calling out loudly, some were gazing through their phones, while others were gathered together, having a laugh.

Right in front of me was an auto with a guy looking into his mobile. I told him my destination, and he checked the rate. He asked me to show him my mobile. I was a little hesitant, as I could still hear the announcement in the distance.

He looked at the location and told me the rate. I tried to bargain, and he acknowledged it.

He wasn't a registered Uber driver, and he didn't have a mobile stand fixed to the auto.

I put my luggage in and sat on the back seat. I was holding my phone and leaning forward to show him the map.

He instantly said, “Hold your phone tight. Somebody from the side on a bike could snatch your phone.”

I thought to myself about how we are divided and how we are forced to perceive people.

Beware of autowallas. Beware of these people. They will cheat and rob you.

Honestly speaking, I too have had my fair share of such experiences.

We, as a society, have given ourselves different glasses through which we look at people and build an image of them based on those perceptions. The top tier, upper-tier middle class, middle tier, and lower tier.

And then we have different coloured shades of religion that give us extra wings and fangs to be used depending on our situations and whims.

The ride continued, and I was holding my phone with both hands like a desperate child who didn't want his candy to be stolen.

The driver checked the map and asked, “Where are you going?”

I replied that I had booked a hotel.

He suddenly checked the map and said, “Oh, you are going to Paharganj.”

I told him that I had mentioned Ramnagar.

“I was not familiar with the name of the place. All the hotel area is in Paharganj. I know the place very well. I don't need the map now.”

I could now relax and sit back and watch the rush, the chaos, and the desperation of everyone trying to reach their destination.

In all the chaos, deep inside, I felt a sense of calmness.

And perhaps, somewhere in that chaos, there was a wave of humanity that transcended beyond the vision of those glasses.

He dropped me at the exact location, and I paid him exactly what he had initially asked for.

Before getting down, I asked his name.

He said, “Imran.”

I shook his hand.

We parted our ways.