The interesting story of an aam aadmi in Delhi….

I was at the Delhi half marathon yesterday and when returning back to the airport, I used the services of an ordinary local black-and-yellow taxi – what used to be called DLY in the old Delhi parlance. Many interesting things came up in the 30 minute long ride to the airport! Many of which reveal the real story about economic progress in the country.

When I sat in the cab, my fears of the Delhi taxi system made me clarify what the “fixed rate” would be for the drop to the airport. “Rs 350”, the driver said. “I thought it was Rs 200” I said. “Arre saab…..those days are long gone. Now it’s a new airport; it’s farther away; the prices of petrol have risen so much” etc etc. Rs 350 it was going to be. But that started off an interesting conversation.

Dhani Ram (an apt name as you will realize by the end of this post!) was from Himachal. He had many complaints. “We used to get apples at Rs 20 a kg. Now they cost Rs 120 a kg. Tomatoes used to sell for Rs 10 for 1.5 kgs and the vendors would almost beg you to buy. Now they cost Rs 40 a kg and no one keeps two hoots on whether you buy or not. Things have become very costly”. “But your income has also gone up” I countered. “That’s true…..but it’s difficult to feed the family” he said. So I asked him about how many family members he had. It turns out he had one son (10^th standard), one daughter (9^th standard), a mother and his wife. So five mouths to feed and he was the only bread earner. He had been driving a taxi in Delhi for the last 24 years. He can be described as a “classic aam aadmi”. One who slogs to feed his family. An urban aam aadmi, but an aam aadmi nonetheless.

As the talk progressed, I asked him if the taxi was his. “No. I have to pay Rs 450 a day to the thekedar. I also have to fill petrol on my own. After that, whatever I make is mine. If I don’t have any business on a particular day, all the loss is mine”. Tough I thought. So I asked him how often that happens. “Not very often” he said and then went on to describe how he took good care of his family. He put his kids in schools and forced them not to work but to study. He didn’t want to buy a new taxi – there would be too much burden. He had a “happy life” free from tension. He had a nice house in Himachal and his family had a lot of shaan there. He showed me a picture of his house on his mobile phone. And it was truly a fancy house. More like a bungalow with a façade perhaps inspired from one of Ekta Kapoor’s shows on TV!

Very soon, the conversation took a different turn. Very soon, he was gushing about the consumer durables in his house. He had a TV, a refrigerator and a water cooler. He even had a second vehicle at home. He was happy his mother was able to watch TV all day long. He was thinking of putting his kids through a  “computer ka course” so as to get good jobs later. He wants his kids to learn English because that is needed in today’s world. “My life has been wasted…..I don’t want my kids’ life to also be wasted also”. He was clear his daughter would study as well. In a few years, I will have both my kids earning money for the family. Dhani Ram was also happy with the quality of Delhi roads, the new airport……When I asked him if the Delhi metro had affected his business, he responded loftily “The metro is always overcrowded. My taxi isn’t”. The optimism ended the conversation! His biggest complain with his business? The fact that there are many “radio cabs” being allowed now. They’re hurting his business. Competition affects everyone!

We saw a cop hold a driver near the airport. “These guys are the biggest thugs in Delhi. They are all corrupt. All they want is to extract money from drivers. They hide behind the corners so that they can nab drivers. If they wanted to control the traffic, they should be seen clearly so that no one breaks the rules”. It was pointless telling him that if rules were to be followed only when the cops were there, how would that be sustainable. I have found taxi drivers always talk about the cops. Recently in Kolkata, I asked my cabbie what the biggest change was with the coming of Mamata Banerjee. He said that the cops have become “more strict”. Now they work. That is why the traffic moves more smoothly! Also, they are less corrupt now! Mostly the cops get it left, right and center. Sometimes – very rarely – they come in for a bit of praise!

We didn’t discuss politics at all because I consider politics to be a private subject. I was more interested in knowing the life of the aam aadmi – an illiterate taxi driver who is representative of a lot of people in the underbelly of Delhi – and indeed any city. I do such conversations with many taxi drivers in many cities. Everywhere I find common strains in the conversations. The struggle with prices. The poor state of the roads (not in Delhi). The harassment of the cops. The high cost of fuels…..

For me, the highlight of the conversation was the hope about the future. Dhani Ram wants to get his kids educated. He wants them to learn English. He wants them to study computers. He has hope that they will not have to lead a life like his. That’s the big change from maybe 20 years back when Dhani Ram himself must be the strapping young man that his son is now. For him, the taxi option was perhaps the only option available. For his kids though, the world is starting to open up.

While he complains about the cost of food articles (mainly), he also realizes that his quality of life has improved very significantly in the last so many years. He can think of buying apples; I doubt if he could do that when they were costing Rs 20 a kg. He is able to feed his family in spite of the high cost of petrol and veggies. He is able to put his kids through school…..

Dhani Ram’s dependence on his mobile phone is the thing I keep writing about when discussing the 2G “revolution”. Yes I prefer to call it that rather than a scam. Had it not been for the cheap pricing, Dhani Ram wouldn’t have had the mobile phone in his hand. It’s the only way for him to source business. Take his mobile away and he would be transported back (almost) into the dingy past where people like him struggled to get business. The mobile phone is more than just a mobile phone. It’s a proud camera too! I didn’t ask him this, but I have a feeling that at least one other member of his family would be having a phone; so keeping in touch would not be a bother for him.

I found no anger or animosity in Dhani Ram. No bubbling-under frustration with the political system as I find amongst the middle class. He didn’t bring up the issue of politics, nor did I. But since it was a freewheeling discussion with both of us starting off new conversations, there was nothing that stopped him from raising the subject of politics. In my mind, this is proof that the aam aadmi is more concerned about his “rozi roti” than the politics in his country. If Dhani Ram could make more money; if his kids to get jobs; he wouldn’t care about the politics of Parliament, elections or even the protests.

The real truth is that Dhani Ram is a quintessential aam aadmi. He complains about the problems in his life when he first starts to speak. But deep within, he realizes that things are getting better. Things could be much better though. People like Dhani Ram want jobs and more money in their hands. Not for them the politics that is the staple of the middle class. Dhani Ram has hope…..and it is this hope that makes him live on….