The lives of urban commuters in Mumbai have been thrown into disarray, following a strike by taxi and auto rickshaw drivers. The strike was called by union leaders to force the government to increase the basic fares, following an increase in the price of Compressed Natural Gas (CNG).
Last Monday, I joined the long line of people waiting for buses as there were few taxis in sight and the few that I stopped, flatly refused to go anywhere.
It is the first time I have really paid attention to how much I have come to depend on the taxis for almost all routine activities.
I had to turn back after going half way down to the grocery shop as I realised that there would be no taxis to help me lug all my purchases to the hostel.
There has been much said against the taxi drivers - their lack of basic etiquette, the swearing, the way they flout traffic rules and their reckless driving on dangerous roads.
However, as I stood under the blazing sun, stuck almost in the middle of nowhere and wondering the best way to go home before the skies started pouring, I found that I actually missed them.
I've had both pleasant and unpleasant experiences in my dealings with taxi drivers.
One of them, on discovering I didn't know numbers in Hindi, tried to fleece me by quoting an exorbitant fare.
Another, after the routine questions of 'Which country are you from?', 'What are you doing in India?', 'Why can't you speak Hindi?' took it upon himself to ensure I learnt phrases in Hindi before I left his vehicle.
Once, after being dropped off at the Gateway of India, a taxi driver told me that though it was crucial I learnt the city's language, he admitted that it was time they changed and that he had tried to pick up some English from me.
My political science teacher would tell our class that taxi drivers were the best source if you wanted to gauge public opinion.
A Bahraini taxi driver once talked me through everything from why the flyover in Isa Town wasn't complete to why taxi fares in India are very cheap ("They use old cars and counterfeit parts, you pay more here because we use genuine ones.") and asked me to write a story on their lives.
Once on my way to the Mumbai international airport, I commented on the tall buildings and flyovers that had come up in North Mumbai.
The taxi driver informed me that if only I bothered turning to my left, I would still see the slums and the grand buildings existed only where politicians lived.
These are perhaps the most eco-friendly days the city has seen in a long time, with more than 80,000 taxis and 100,000 auto rickshaws off the road.
Life, however, has come to a standstill and with the monsoons in the city it is very cumbersome to travel on foot or use public transport.
Hopefully they'll be back on the roads next week, but it's surprising how this band of often overlooked men, trying to reassert their worth in society, has gripped the entire city.
¥ Ms Gnana is a former Bahrain resident now studying in Mumbai
Copyright 2010 Al Hilal Publishing and Marketing Group
'Taxi! Not a chance as strike bites... ', Gulf Daily News, June 25, 2010, Jennifer Gnana
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