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Wednesday, October 12, 2005

These Accountants Get a Lot of Leaves


Auto Rickshaw drivers in Delhi (and elsewhere) are believed to be a crooked lot. Loitering around in their (now eco-friendly) three wheelers, ready to fleece you at the slightest pretext. You want the shortest route; they always take a detour feigning traffic jams, closed roads or some other not so ingenious excuse.

The law requires them to ply by meter (unless you take a pre-paid from an authorised booth). When you ask them to, comes the eternal excuse, "Meter kharab hain" (The meter's not working). A few days ago I took an auto rickshaw (non pre-paid) from the Old Delhi Railway Station to my residence in the eastern suburbs. I had negotiated the fare beforehand. The electronic meter was covered with a rexene flap. On it written in stylised Devanagri was, "Maaf kijiye munimji chutti pe hain" (Sorry! the accountant is on leave).

I smiled, but on reaching my destination had to pay the driver Rs. 10 more than what his perpetually on leave munimji (accountant) would have otherwise calculated.

3 Comments:

Abaniko said...

That happens with metered taxis in Manila. Drivers would take alternative routes on the pretext of avoiding traffic. They literally zigzag to the final destination.

Gypsy said...

thinking abt it, i remember there used be many funny statements inside and on outer side of rikshaws in mumbai, one of them which has always puzzled me is "buri nazarwale tera mooh kaalaa" :)) why wd anyone look at a rikshaw with buri nazar???

saiprasad said...

chennai , auto walas min charges 20 bucks , there after 10 rs per KM with their own measuring instrument (thier corrupt mind).