Voice of an Indian taxi driver

‘On early morning of 4 July 2018, I interviewed a Meru taxi driver, Bhagirath (50), in New Delhi, during my 45-minute journey from Terminal 3 (IGIA) to Greater Noida. I was on my regular, week-long, visit to India and had just landed in the capital.

As per my habit, fortunately which most people also follow in Australia, I sat on the front passenger seat of the taxi and was eager to trigger a meaningful conversation with the driver. This habit not only highlights the dignity of work and labour, it also demonstrates respect for the intrinsic human dignity. We must treat all our service-providers as we wish to be treated by them. No one person becomes big or small based on the nature of one’s work; all humans are born equal and command respect. We become small only when we discriminate, consciously or otherwise, against other people based on their calling, colour, social status, religion or caste.

Bhagirath spoke vehemently AGAINST the following issues in the country:

• Expensive private education: He demands a high quality, but affordable, education for ALL poor masses. He complained against the mushrooming growth of private educational institutions who fleece poor people.
• Dowry: He said, as his daughter’s wedding will potentially cost him up to about Rupees 5 Lakhs, he is not in a position to marry her off, as he can’t afford her dowry. He wants the State should introduce the Anti-dowry Act and make dowry illegal, with severe punitive measures against ALL those people who offer and/or demand a dowry, irrespective of their social status.
• Caste-based selection of electoral candidates: He said ALL candidates must be selected based on their educational background, and not their caste.
• Reservations: He maintains the Indian system of reservations is unfair and, therefore, wants it to be scrapped completely. Instead, people should be assisted financially based on only their household income. He wants ALL poor people – from ALL backgrounds/ castes/ religions – should be able to receive the State assistance through a means-tested social security system.
• Different laws: He demands one common law for ALL Indians, irrespective of religion or caste.
• Reservations-based teacher appointment: He wants ALL teachers should be appointed based on only their teaching capability and educational merit, and not reservations.
• Subsidised gas cylinders based on reservations: He said this practice is unfair and should be stopped. Instead, gas cylinders should be provided based on only the household income.
• Availability of ration cards to only some people: He demands ration cards should be made available to ALL poor people and not only some privileged sections of the community.

In addition to the above, he also made the following useful SUGGESTIONS:

• Streams and rivulets should be connected with main rivers, so that rainwater is not wasted. Through the construction of dams over these streams and rivers, greater access for water will be available to numerous farmers for farming use.
• Driver licenses should be linked with Aadhar card. Also, Batch licenses should be introduced in all states, otherwise middlemen exploit the system and fleece the drivers who move from one state to the other.
• Sale of land – residential, commercial and agricultural – should be linked with Aadhar card.
• Good quality government hospitals and degree level colleges should be opened in all districts, so that people don’t have to travel long distance to access these facilities.
• Survey of agricultural land should be undertaken on a regular basis, as the population increases. He does not recall any survey was undertaken in his living memory.

Bhagirath (Bhagirath Prasad Kushwa) comes from a farming community from Jharkhand. He hails from Gram Kadidih – Post Office Padariya – Thana Markaccho – Zila Kodarma.

In his own words, Bhagirath is not an educated person.

Indian taxi drivers, across the country, have traditionally provided me with invaluable firsthand insight into the country’s general health and the mindset of common people in regard to the state of affairs of the country – liveability, health and happiness, culture and values, political infrastructure and governance.

Where possible, I also interview street vendors, rickshaw pullers, coolies, labourers and domestic helpers. All these people work in very challenging conditions – on the open roads (the blood vessels of a country) – and not in air-conditioned offices. These people don’t rely on the social media or the mass electronic media for knowing the country’s general health. Interestingly, but not surprisingly, they form the bulk of the voters. As their opinion counts, one must listen to them.’ Bill K Koul