Unshakeable faith

While taking an autorickshaw from Juhu to Bandra, my Swedish friend Bjorn and I had an interesting conversation with the driver, who was initially driving like a maniac. "I have been driving since 1983 and I have never hit anyone or gotten into an accident," said Ramesh, who originally hails from Pune. We told him that we didn't want to be part of the first such incident.

His reply was full of references to God. He said God creates and it's his responsibility to look after his creation. Which is why, this humble auto-rickshaw driver has a flat in a chawl (something like community housing for poorer people). He said his fear of God prevented him from ever cheating a passenger and God rewarded him by giving him enough money to educate his 2 sons. The elder one is an accountant and the younger one an engineer and both of them have their own homes and cars. Ramesh said God also rewarded him for not drinking alcohol.

It's amazing how strong and unshakeable Ramesh's faith in God is. I hope this faith will keep him happy in the future as well.

Complaints against Bus, Taxi or Auto Drivers in Bombay/Mumbai

To be fair, taxi and rickshaw drivers in Bombay are probably the most honest in India. They rarely overcharge and even if they do, it's unlikely that will do so like the guys in Madras, Delhi or Bangalore. But there are rogue elements here and if you do face a problem, there are ways to register a proper complaint.

The traffic police has a website, where you can enter all the details. http://www.trafficpolicemumbai.org/Complaint_Auto_taxi_form.htm

Whether an auto or taxi driver overcharged or was aggressive or refused to go to your destination, you can file a proper complaint. This site can even be used if a bus driver refuses to stop at a bus stop. Make sure you have a pen and paper in hand for these offenders.

There's also a toll free number that you can dial and where you can register your complaint in 3 languages: Hindi, Marathi or English. 1800-22-0110