Uber Interactions in India : Part 1

 

#traveldiaries

Long read alert !! 

Travelogues are not just about places but also about people we meet during our travels. Some people just create a special place in our memory folders.

Towards the last few days of my recent stay in India I needed to travel from Pune to Khopoli to take care of some work at a government office. Workings in these places being highly unpredictable I wasn’t sure how long it would take for me in Khopoli before I could move onwards to Mumbai. So I decided I would call for an Uber ride from Pune to Khopoli. Then another ride from Khopoli to Mumbai later in the day. Btw, I feel proud of myself that during this India trip I became a pro in calling for Uber…something I hadn’t done in the USA 😃

November 24th Wednesday morning I was up at 4 am. Showered, bags packed, check list and detailed notes given to my husband to do before leaving the Pune apartment because he would be leaving 2 days later to join me in Mumbai. 5:45 am I entered my pick up and drop off destinations in the Uber app , apprehensive that who would be available at that hour to drive me to Khopoli ? Lo and behold ! A driver was found and was just 4 minutes away !! Sudhakar K ! 

I raced to finish my tea, put on my shoes and haul my bags down the elevator. Sure enough the car arrived by 5:55 am ! SK helped load the bags into the car. And we were on the road before 6 am . 

I picked up the conversation with him telling him how pleasantly surprised I was that he was around so early to take me to Khopoli. He told me he lived in Malad Mumbai and last night it was late when he dropped off a passenger in Pune so he had stayed over. 

He used to drive a rickshaw in Mumbai for a few years starting at age 18 but bought this car 3 years back, just before the pandemic. When I asked how much he makes he said about 35- 40k of which nearly half is spent on fuel and car maintenance. So roughly 20k is what was the net amount he took home each month.

My mental math estimated his age around 26-28 , which is about same as my son. His parents lived in a small village near Chiplun and he lived in Malad with his wife and young son. I told him about my Chiplun connections and travel through that area last year to visit my family deity. We talked about the recent terrible floods that hit Chiplun. His village had been safe though.

An hour into the journey I told him I was going to Khopoli for some work at the Registrar office but eventually needed a ride to Mumbai. Asked him if he had bookings after he dropped me or would he consider to wait and take me to Mumbai? He remained quiet. 

Another 15 minutes later I nudged him again. “you didn’t answer my question? “ He said he didn’t mind waiting to take me to Mumbai but it would cost 3000 rupees additional. And at that price,he added, he wouldn’t mind however long it took for me in Khopoli or wherever I needed to stop on the way. 

Perfect ! I confirmed the deal. Now I didn’t have to worry about unloading my bags upon reaching Khopoli and searching for another ride in the evening.

As we passed the toll booth before Lonavala I asked him if he would get off the expressway to pick some chikki in Lonavala. Sure, he said. We drove into town. It was barely 7:15 am and most shops were closed. My preferred vendor was closed but my second choice vendor was open. I took my time to get the chikki and fudge for my friends and family. Then we were back on the road , passing by my old school in Khandala, watching fog engulfed Duke’s Nose,gliding down the winding ghats till we reached Khopoli. It was barely 8 am. 

I told him to park near my home in Khopoli and come with me for breakfast at a restaurant close by. He was gone into the washroom when the waiter came to take the order. I ordered a masala dosa and a plate of medu wada. The dosa arrived first and the waiter placed it before me. By the time the medu wada arrived SK was back from the washroom and seated at the table next to mine. The waiter automatically placed the wada in front of him. SK gave me a surprised look. I would have ordered exactly this ! How did you know ? I just smiled. He had tea after that and was done.

I went about contacting the people who were going to be needed for the work I was there for. The Registrar office would only open after 11 am. We did some paperwork, signatures etc before that and waited for a call from the Registrar office. 

In the mean time I went to meet some local school friends and teachers at their respective homes . Every time I got out to meet someone I would communicate with SK by phone when he needed to come pick me up. All this time my bags remained in the car.

Finally around noon got the call to come do the last formalities at the Khalapur Registrar office. We were there for almost 2 hours. Once that was done I was to have lunch at the home of my parents’ friends. I told them to include SK for lunch too. 

After lunch I still had to meet a couple of people. SK was patient and most willing to drive me around.

It was 4 pm by the time I wrapped up all engagements and 6 pm by the time he dropped me off in Santacruz. 12 hours since we had started from Pune. It had been a long day for him. 

The next day I had a meeting with someone at Marine Drive at 11:30 and then would meet friends for lunch at Shivaji Park at 1:00 pm. I had casually mentioned it to SK. Since it would fetch him more income from a trip to and from Pune, I decided to not take up his time and services in Mumbai . I would find another Uber ride in the morning. SK kindly gave me some insider tips on Uber Vs Ola before he left. I didn’t think I would see him again in the near future.

The next morning I was ready early and just as I picked my phone to open the Uber app I saw there was a missed call from SK. I called him to check why he called. May be I left something in his car ? 

I was astonished with his response. 

He told me when he reached home the night before his family asked why he was late when he only had a customer till Khopoli. He told them about me, how I treated him nicely and offered him breakfast and lunch ( I hadn’t thought much about it but obviously he did ). When he told them that I was not from Mumbai and needed a taxi the next day his family scolded him for not offering me help for that day !! “ Chaanglyaa lokaannaa madat karaaylaa pahije “ his family told him. ( One must help good people when they need some assistance). So he had called to say he would drive me to South Mumbai and stay with me until as long as I needed the car !! Even if it was just for half the day! 

I was speechless !

So here I was again with SK, this time driving down the familiar streets of Mumbai. First going over the Western Express Highway, crossing over to Bandra Reclamation to get onto the Worli Sea Link and proceeding past the Taraporewala Aquarium to Marine Drive. SK didn’t seem very familiar with South Mumbai but after a few wrong turns and U turns 😃we found the location I had to be at. 

He waited patiently until I was done there. I was running late for the lunch meet and despite no fault of his he was apologetic about the delay in the traffic.

Finally we made it to Shivaji Park. I told him to find some place to eat as I hurried to meet the saree friends( Manisha Borkar Waghmare, Ameeta Welling, Sonali Pradhan and Shilpa Joshi).

After our lunch, as mentioned in my recent post, Ameeta joined me in the car and we drove to her home. Again SK waited outside patiently. Ameeta’s MIL had kindly offered tea and snacks to SK while he waited. By the time I wrapped up at Ameeta’s home and bid goodbye to her sweet family it was dark outside.

We made through heavy traffic in Santacruz and reached home by 7:45 pm. 

Not once did this sweet man show impatience or urgency to leave or frustration about traffic or even mention money. Not once did I feel insecure leaving my belongings in the car in his care. He didn’t speak much but every gesture was of genuine caring. I observed him keenly. Much resources are poured worldwide to train professionals for providing better service. Here the essence of service was naturally ingrained into this man without any formal education or training !! 

2 days of travel together and I had found a friend for life. A simple minded, honest, hard working, content ,dependable and caring human being ! His soft voice still rings in my ears. So do the words from his wife “ chaanglyaa lokaannaa madat karaaylaa pahije”! 

Saree today a South Handloom Cotton is a gift from a dear cousin in Pune whose daughter( my niece) lives in California and is a SS member. Incidentally the blouse I am wearing was also stitched by the same cousin when she visited me earlier this year. While in Pune she treated me to dinner with modaks for dessert 😋😋. Helps to have cousins who are multi talented and doting 😃💕

The necklace and earrings I am wearing are also gifts of love from a dear friend from SS. Aren’t they pretty ? Will share a close up in comments.

Basking in love again and again 🙏🏼🙏🏼💕💕

When I recall these precious moments with these special people I realize I may have flown several thousand miles but India is just one thought away! I can never go farther.🙏🏼🙏🏼💕💕