Raju, The Rickshaw Puller -
future Engineer
(A rather interesting
anecdote on the changing face of India sent by a friend via chain email.
Author unknown.)
There were two *rickshaw-walas vying for our business when we wanted to go
to Sankat-Mochan temple in Benaras. I agreed to go with the one who was
about 20, seemed like a regular young rickshaw-wala, but I found something
interesting about this fellow in his eyes. I was not proved wrong. (*Three
wheeled cycle cart for carrying passengers)
He wanted Rs 50, we said Rs 30.
We settled for 40.
Here are the highlights of the conversation that ensued while he rode the
rickshaw:
"aap kahan se aaye hain" (Where are you come from?)
"Delhi"
"bijness ya kaam karte hain?" (Are you in business or service?)
"naukri karte hain" (In service.)
"kismein" (Where?)
"internet mein" (Internet
related)
"humara bhi kuch wahin
kaam lagwa do" (Please get me a job there?)
I just chuckled
"main try kar raha hoon
engineering padhne kee. achchi naukri lag jaayegi tab" (I am
trying to enroll in engineering. I get a good job after that)
"achcha?" (Really) I
asked a little interested
"haan, Delhi mein Guru Gobind Singh Indraprashta University mein
engineering ke liye apply kara hai. achchi hai woh university" (Yes,
I have applied at Guru Gobind Singh Indraprastha University at Delhi for
an engineering course. Is it a good university?)
"haan, achchi hai",
(Yes, its good.) I agreed.
"haan, kal hee maine JEE bhi diya" (Yesterday I took the JEE (Joint
Entrance Examination for the extremely prestigious IIT institutions)
"JEE matlab, IIT ka?" (JEE for IIT? (Indian Institute for
Technology)
"haan, (Yes) Joint Entrance Examination" he pronounced it perfectly
just to make it clear to me what JEE stood for. "mushkil hota hai exam"
(It’s a tough examination)
"haan, 2 saal toh log padhte hee hain uske liye, asaan nahin hai" (Yes
people prepare for two years for this exam. It’s not easy.)
I carried on the conversation.
"aapne kya padhai kari?"
(What have you studied?)
"main engineer hoon, aur phir mba bhi kiya" (I am an engineer and a
MBA)
"kahan se engineer?" (Engineering from which institution?)
"IIT Delhi se" (From IIT Delhi)
He swung back, surprised, a little delighted, and smiled. "Ok, aapke
liye Rs 30" (OK, the fare is Rs 30 for you)
Swati and I laughed
Swati asked "padhai kab
karte they IIT ke liye" (When do you study for IIT (JEE)?
"bas, rickshaw chalaane ke baad raat mein". (After driving
the rickshaw. At night.)
Then he added "kismein engineering kari aapne?" (What was your
engineering stream?)
"Chemical"
"toh aapki chemistry toh
badi strong hogi" (Then you must have been good in chemistry.)
"nahin, aisa nahin hai" (Well, not really.)
He continued "yeh bataiye....jab Mendeleev ne Periodic Table banaya tha
tab kitne elements they usmein?" (Tell me when Mendelev formulated the
Periodic Table, how many elements were there?)
Now it was my turn to get surprised. He was quizzing me.
I said "shayad 70-80" May be 70-80.
"No, 63" he said sharply. "kaunse element kee electronegativity highest
hai?" (Which was the element that has the highest electronegativity?)
Swati was laughing, and I didn’t try too hard and said "pata nahin"
(Don’t know)
"Flourine", he said confidently. Without a break he asked, "kaunse
element kee electron affinity highest hoti hai?" (Which element has
the highest electron affinity?)
Now I was laughing too and said "nahin pata" (Don’t know)
"Chlorine. "toh aapka kaunsa subject strong tha?"
“Chlorine! So which was your strong subject…clearly having proven that
chemistry wasn’t my strong point.
"Physics", I said
"Achha, Newton 's second
law of motion kya hai" (OK, what’s Newton ’s second law of motion?)
I knew this one I thought, "F=ma" I said
"Physics is not about formula, it is understanding a concept!" he
reprimanded me in near perfect English. "Tell me in statement"
I was shocked.
Swati continued to laugh.
I said "OK, Newtons second
law, er....was...."
" 'was' nahin, 'is'!
Second law abhi bhi hai!" he snapped at my use of 'was' (Not Was! Iws!
The law still holds good!)
Surely, my physics wasn’t
impressing him either. "yaad nahin, (can’t remember) I said"
"Force on an object is directly proportional to the mass of the object and
the acceleration of the object", he said it in near perfect English.
"aapne mtech nahin kiya?"
"You did not do M.Tech.?"
"nahin, mba kiya" (No I did MBA).
"MBA waale toh sirf paisa kamana chahte hain, kaam nahin karte" (MBA
is for earning money only, not for working.)
"Nahin, aisa nahin hai, paisa kamaane ke liye kaam karna padta hai" (No
it is not like that. You have to work to earn.)
He said "arrey, rehene do" (leave it Sir) or some words to that
effect.
He didn’t think too highly of me apparently anymore.
In a minute we reached our destination. We got off and I told him that he
must and should definitely study more, and that I think he is sharp as
hell. He took only Rs 30, smiled and began to leave. I got my camera out
and said
"Raju, ek photo leta hoon tumhari". (Raju one photo please.)
He waved me off, dismissed the idea and rode off before I could say
anything more....leaving me feeling high and dry like a spurned lover.
Damn, what a ride that was!
India is changing, and changing fast.
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