Riding Across Bangalore

My name is Prasad. I have been an auto driver for around 20-25 years now, not just in Malleswaram but all around Bangalore, wherever I get rides. I'm also a rider on apps like Ola, Uber, and Rapido, so I travel wherever it's required. I live in Kamalanagar, near Basaveshwaranagar. My wife works as well, and I have a daughter studying in the 1st PUC in Rajajinagar.

Malleswaram: A Place That Has Everything

Malleswaram is a serene place with wonderful people. You'll find everything you need here—the flower market, clothes, whatever you're looking for. People from all backgrounds live here, and it's filled with highly educated individuals. There are many politicians and people from higher social circles. About 70-80% of Malleswaram residents are Brahmins and Iyengars. The 1st cross to the 18th cross is very nice. 

Mantri Mall gets extremely crowded, especially on weekends. A lot of people go there because it is a fancy mall, and everything is available there. It causes a lot of traffic, and it becomes tiring to ride my vehicle there, but it also helps my business. I have to adjust for the sake of my job.

Five Out of Twenty Will Talk to You

In terms of how they treat us auto drivers, it's mostly just telling us which destination to take them. They do talk to us, but respect depends on the person. Some people are very nice—they talk to us about our lives, how long we've been riding autos—they show genuine interest and want to have a conversation, but they are still in the minority. In one day, if I drive 20 people, around 5 of them usually strike up a conversation with me, and they are usually pretty respectful. Of course, one or two may be rude, but that is life. Some refer to you as "sir" or "anna," but others treat you as a mere auto driver—there isn't much we can do about that. It is their mentality and can't be helped. I'm generally a quiet person, and I handle these situations with that same demeanor.

"If You Cannot Talk Nicely, Don't Talk Badly"

Negative experiences are inevitable, but how we handle these situations is what matters. I don't see the point in getting angry and starting a fight with my customers, even if they may be at fault. I understand them and adjust—that's my responsibility as an auto driver serving a customer. 

I've had bad experiences with customers—some have been wrong about their location but have blamed me for it, while some have been sweet and understanding. In any line of work, there will be something negative. In the same way that there are pressures in an office setting, there are issues in our job as well. "No pain, no gain" is how I describe it.

If there is an issue, I try to understand the situation. I convince them that this is not the best way to speak to me, and ask them for a solution. If they are right, I acknowledge that it is my fault. Every day is a fresh experience, and it has been for the last 20 years. It is important to teach people how to speak and value others, and to deal with situations like this. There's a saying in Kannada: "if you cannot talk nicely, that's okay, but don't talk badly—don't hurt others." If I am spoken to respectfully, my attitude changes accordingly.

When Trees Were More and Phones Were Less

I have a responsibility to take care of my family. I have to do this job—I can't spend all day on my phone. It wasn't like this 25 years back when I started. There's so much pollution now—noise pollution and air pollution—roads are not well made either. It was better back then; there were a lot more trees. There were also fewer autos, so our work was respected more.

The biggest change has been with phones and technology. Before, nobody had phones. The value of money has also diminished so much compared to before. The same money that I'm spending on SIM cards for my phone now used to be spent on just the necessities—milk, butter, oil. Phones have become important now; one can't live without them—it has become our "world", everything revolves around it. It is sad, but it is reality. You can get everything at home now—groceries, even medicines—so people have become very dependent on that.

There was a larger sense of community back then. People were nice to each other and used to spend time with each other, but now it's not like that. It is harder to trust people now. This dependency on technology has made people more isolated. No one knows what the other person is up to, so there is not much of a connection or community anymore. People are not patient; they do not listen. It wasn't like this earlier. People were ready to help, they were welcoming, but this generation has changed too much.

Apps: The Easier Way to Work

I prefer the apps as an auto driver. Before, I wasn't associated with the apps. If I sat in one place, I had to wait for people to approach me. The apps help by telling me who and where someone wants to go. I have the option of choosing, based on the location, whether I want to go to that specific area, and whether it's worth the fare I'm getting. It's simpler and doesn't pose issues with customers. They come, tell me the OTP, and I take them to their destination. I ask them for the amount shown to me, and there's no trouble. In my experience, 70-80% of rides have been trouble-free because I use the apps. When I go just by meter, some people tamper with it, they negotiate prices because it's too expensive for them, and at least 3 to 4 arguments tend to take place daily. It becomes harder for me, as a driver, to argue or negotiate with the customer.

Everybody has to get with the changing times and "update themselves". Now it has become more favorable, but we have to match society's pace. Those who may not have gotten an education, or don't know how to read, may fall behind. A lot of auto drivers have had very minimal education, it is a hard and troubled experience for them, which is why they tend to avoid the transport apps and rely on the meter. At the end of the day, all of us have to live our lives in some way or the other—to earn money is our goal.

A Father's Daily Routine

I drop my daughter off at college at 8-8:30 am and then go about my rides till around 3:30 pm. She gets off college at 4 pm, and I pick her up. I only have one daughter, and I don't trust anybody else with her—that is how society has become nowadays. Suspicion is always high, and trust is low.

Breaking the Cycle: An Engineer in the Family

My father and I both studied in a Kannada medium school, up to SSLC. The fact that my daughter is studying engineering in a good college makes me proud. I remember in school, teachers used to ask us what we wanted to become when we grew older. We were young, mindless kids, so we used to say all sorts of things. I had said I wanted to become an engineer, but life made me an auto driver. This is why I gave my daughter the choice and the support to do whatever she wants to put her mind to, so long as she lives a good, successful, and educated life. I grew up seeing my father drunkenly beat up my mother, and that made me understand the difference between right and wrong. I wanted my daughter to get a proper education because I could not get one.

Work With Love, Not Complaints

I ride the auto till late in the night—11 or 12 am. It is simply a question of survival; I have to do the work. I have the responsibility of taking care of my family, because I don't have support from elsewhere. I need to fend for myself and my family. Of course, there are other professions I would have loved to take up—I love acting and singing—but realistically, I can't do those jobs and fend for my family. Being an auto driver is something I have to do for the security of my family. It is not a job I dislike, though.

I believe that whatever work you do, if you do it with love and enjoyment, that matters more than anything else. If I continue to complain about my work and always have an ungrateful attitude, it will only pose problems for me. If my mind is free, I can work more, and in the end, both my family and I benefit from it. If I fight and start trouble, I end up suffering more, which means my family does too. I want to be able to take my wife to watch a movie or treat my daughter to pani puri. If I fight unnecessarily and don't do my job properly, I won't have the money to do this. It is my duty to work because it earns me respect, a stronger circle of connections, and also happiness.