Kozhikode Auto

Kozhikode Auto

During my service period, though I wanted to take long leave on some occasions, I was not allowed to take leave by superiors. Fortunately or unfortunately during my entire tenure of service, except for a brief spell, I was handling crucial issues. However, I tried not to miss any of my passions during busy periods also. If there was an important football match even during the month of March (March is considered to be the most crucial period for Finance Staff) I used to watch it by taking short leave if it happens on a working day. Even for my marriage I was granted only 15 days leave against my demand of 30 days as I was dealing with parliament questions also during that period. (One person in my office did not take any leave for his marriage and he left little early at 3 PM to attend his marriage not because he was not having sufficient leave but because he wanted to save it for encashing. Another employee who was the only son of his father was avoiding marriage on the plea that he is not getting leave. Not convinced with his claim, his father one day phoned to his Divisional head, told the whole story and humbly requested him to grant leave to his son for marriage. Divisional head immediately called the concerned employee and asked him to proceed on leave from tomorrow with the instruction that he should return only after marriage. Perhaps that may be the only case or one of the rare cases where an employee was compulsorily sent on leave for marriage). Since the return booking was done 60 days in advance, I could not extend the leave also. Consequently, I could not visit many relatives immediately after marriage. Even for my ICWA examination, I took leave for 2-3 days on the examination days only. In those days, ICWA examinations were held both in the morning and evening, 10 Am to ! PM and 2 PM to t5 PM during the last week of June and December, a conducive climate in Delhi.

During one of my leave period I decided to visit maximum relatives. After visiting a relative at Bangalore, we boarded a train to Coimbatore to visit another relative. From Coimbatore, we had booked a ticket to Kozhikode (Calicut) to visit yet another relative. Scheduled time of arrival of the train at Kozhikode was 8 AM. Our relative was a teacher and the arrangement was that she could go little late to the school.

Subsequently, we got a phone call that since there is inspection in the school, she had to go early. We were in a quandary. The easiest option was to cancel the trip, but we did not do that. We cancelled the earlier ticket and booked another ticket for a train which reaches Kozhikode after midnight. The train reached around 1.30 AM. Only a handful of passengers got down from the train. It was heavily raining accompanied with lightning and thunder. No taxi or autos were visible. There was nobody in the platform. After few minutes I spotted an auto. To our misfortune, one passenger was sitting in the auto. Auto driver told us that he will drop the passenger and will come back within half hour. I was absolutely not having any hope. Who will come back in the torrential rain at odd hours to pick up a passenger that too for a short journey? To our surprise, he came back after 40 minutes. We were having only the address and were not aware of the route. Auto driver stopped the vehicle at 2-3 places and took the trouble of enquiring the route from some residents where light was visible. At last we reached the destination where name board was visible. Even then the auto driver asked us to go and confirm that this is the place where we want to visit and told that he will wait till we confirm. Meter showed charges Rs 18/=. I gave an Rs 50 note and requested the driver not to return the balance as we were overwhelmed by his sense of duty. However, he politely refused the offer and returned the balance saying that he has performed only his duty. My persistent requests to convince him did not materialize.

 Many people especially youngsters born and brought up in Mahanagars (Nay Mahanaraks) may be wondering whether such people and places exist in this country. I do not know whether the situation still remains the same but I am confident that there will not be any drastic change in the situation. During those days, the finest auto services were in Kozhikode. Situations in other places of Kerala may not be the same. In the unlikely event of overcharging or other complaint against an auto, one can approach the auto rickshaw union and not to the traffic police. You can be rest assured that your complaint will be redressed immediately even by refunding the extra charge. If the auto charges come to Rs 19 and if you give 20 rupee note, he will repay one rupee and if it comes to Rs 21 and if you have no change, he will forgo it. If you forget anything in the auto, you will get back within 24 hours as the driver will visit your house and handover the belongings. He will charge only the expenses incurred in coming to your house. If you were dropped in a public place and if address is available, then also you will get back the item at your house. If no address is available, still you can collect your left out item from the nearest police station from where you were dropped as the auto driver would have deposited it with the police station. Kozhikkodans and those who visit Kozhikode frequently can comment on the current situation.

A big salute to the great auto driver.