..."400 rupaiyye hona bhai, jhooth nahi bolta mai"
"350 rupiye le lo bhaiyya, aur chalo." I conclude. Amjad spits out his paan and reluctantly disengages the clutch of his rickshaw as we start heading towards Malakpet after a tiring day at Ramoji film city and a good fifteen minutes of haggling. Its pitch black on Vijaywada highway, he pulls over his rick and washes the windscreen with some water he kept in a bottle under his seat and grumbles. Looks like he is not happy with the deal. He struggles to look at the road ahead, the lamp of his rick has barely lit up the road. "Aap kahan se aya? ", he spits again and strikes a conversation."Poona se" I reply. "kitna ghooma?"
"bas aaj hi aaye hai, ab ghoomenge"
"Hyderabad main achcha achcha jagah ghoomna, achcha shahar hai." He praises his city. "Poona chotaa hai, mumbai bada hai"
"Tum gaye ho kyaa Bambai?" I ask.
"Mumbai... bambai nahi bolta ab" he corrects me. He reveals that he has stayed in Mumbai, Chennai (he calls it 'Medras') and Bangalore before settling back to his native place, Hyderabad. "Har shahar ka alag baat hota"
I can sense that he is at ease with us finally. So what is your favorite food, asks Vandy. "I like everything apart from the bore-well water they give nowadays. Fresh water is so rare and I had to wash my rickshaw's glass with the drinking water I had kept for myself." Sensing disappointment, I ask him what is the plan for evening. "Ab ghar jaaunga", He says. "Who is your favorite actor ?" Vandana questions him again. " He has to be my son", he replies without thinking for a moment, everybody smiles."Paanch saal ka hona, lekin hero maafik dialogue bolna" says Amjad with pride in typical Hyderabadi tone. He continues " Every time I go home, the first question he asks is 'How much did you earn today ?' and when I tell him, he says 'Give half of it to Ammi', I have named him 'Salman' ". Everybody laughs. He swerves his rickshaw as he tries to overtake a car. I ask him to be careful. "I have been doing it for a long time, its all about control, you need to understand your vehicle" He continues "Compared to Mumbai, vehicles are more in Hyderabad, and Hyderabad is ill mannered when it comes to driving". "Sab apna marji ke hisaab se chalata." He declares.
"Hindu-Muslim yaha bahot chalta, Mumbai mein nahi dekha aisa, yahan bahot ladai hota usko leke" He tells his experiences.
I ask him about Id. "Ramzan is about remembering people who are not in this world now, like parents and in-laws, Bakri Id is different, each one offers a goat depending on his ability, then distributes it to his relatives and friends, excess food is given to the less fortunate ones. Bakri id is all about meeting your relatives and friends"
"So what are your plans for tomorrow ? Where are you going ?" I ask him again as we reach nearer to Malakpet. " I will offer namaj in the morning and then leave for work, I can't stay at home without any work". There is some kind of determination as well as frustration in his voice. "Why don't you spend time with your parents ? Its good to have a conversation with your parents on such occasions, its the only day you get to meet them, right ? " I ask. "Maa baap nahi raha bhai, do behen hai wo Saudi mein hai, abhi yahan mereko ek ladka aur ek ladki hai teen saal ki" He interrupts me. I run out of words. We arrive at Malakpet railway station and disembark. Vandana pulls three hundred and a fifty rupee note, I replace the fifty rupee note with a hundred rupee one. Vandana peeps inside his rickshaw, "Ye pachaas rupiye aapke liye nahi hai, Salman aur apke beti ke liye hai". He smiles, I can see the sense of gratitude on his face. I thank him for the ride and wish him Eid Mubarak. He stays there till we have entered the station and then leaves, waving his hands ...
I dont know if I was tricked emotionally, but it felt good to give him those extra fifty bucks.
- I copied this from my facebook wall while I was on a visit to Hyderabad
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