A trip in an Mumbai (Auto)

The feel of getting on a long trip on an auto, renders an embodied journey through the city, the deafening noise, the exhaust fumes and the vibrations which is an akin to a back massage, especially when one encounters a speed breaker. An auto is able to deftly navigate the interstices of the clogged roads on a public holiday, and able to zip through backlanes where an uber car would not attempt to tread, as it is off the GPS route. Occasionally it cuts to the wrong side of the road, and overtakes vehicles the many multiples of it’s power grade. As a homage was paid in the Himesh Reshamiyya move, Aap Ka Saroor to an Autowala in Switzerland, and many a Tamizh film- the auto is an urban institution in Mumbai, with its own union.

Autowallah’s are erudite social commentators who have the ground view on urban planning, local machine politics climate change. As they bear the brunt of the weather in the trenchant Mumbai monsoon each year, they are the last mile connectivity for many. And they have a pride, with any Mumbaikar can vouch for, as we have all encountered at various stages of life.