Matiyaburj

Tewari, 73

Coming out of Khyber drunk on white wine and red wine, I began looking for a taxi in the night. I saw one taxi driver exchange a few words with another in a language I knew so well. He agreed to take Manu and me towards Grant Road. The driver was an old man. My drunken senses began flying as the taxi gathered speed. So out of impulse, I began talking to the old man. I told him that I loved it when he was talking in Bhojpuri. I asked if he was a Bihari. He was.
How long have you been in Mumbai? “40 years.”
And you still remember your language?
“Can one ever forget one’s language?”
Then he asked where I was from. I said Bihar (I was brought up there) and Calcutta (where I studied).
“I used to drive a car in Calcutta in the 50s,” he said. It was his boss’s car. He had come to the big city with his mother from a village in Bihar.
Manu got down at VT station and we resumed our night journey and talk.
“My maalik (boss) was a very good man. I would drive him to his office everyday. I had his car.” Then his company asked him to move to America. He said: ‘Tewari, you will also come with me’.
We were now in Church Gate.
“I was so happy. I told mother that maalik had asked me to come to America with him. She got really worried. My father had passed away a long time ago and I was her only support. She forbade me from going. But I had promised my boss. I was in a fix. I didn’t know what to do? Everybody around me knew I was going to America. Maalik had asked me apply for a passport. But what could I do? I had to refuse. He was a good man. He said if your mother did not want to come, don’t.
My mother was relieved. I was a good, responsible son. After my maalik left, I began driving a taxi around Calcutta. I also took mother on a pilgrimage to the four holy sites. I fulfilled my duty as a son.
Then I came to Mumbai. It’s been 40 years, driving taxis. They all know me, respect me. I am 73 now. Can anyone this old drive a taxi?”
He halted at Lamington Road. Slowly I staggered down, missing him already, and paid fare of Rs 50 and saw him speed away, smiling, satisfied, the old man in his taxi.

This entry was posted on Friday, May 30th, 2008 at 6:22 pm and is filed under Uncategorized. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.