Chewing the cud

I am always on the lookout for something interesting to write about. And share autos sometimes provide some fodder for the blog.

For instance, today I had a major row with a share auto driver who told me to get off at Spencer Plaza when I wanted to go up to the auto's last scheduled stop (according to the board displayed in the front) at Tarapore Towers. The fact was that every other passenger had alighted near Spencer's and he didnt want to waste his precious petrol on one passenger. I put my foot down and he relented. Well, I was surprised he did. Anyway, I am feeling pretty pleased with myself today.

Well, this wasnt what I had initially planned to write about. It was a small romance I witnessed the other day. Just as I got into the auto, a girl in pink decided to move one seat to the left. Once I settled down I found that she was the subject of interest of a chap in blue sitting on the dummy speaker seat in front and facing me. He kept looking unabashedly at her with a smile on his lips.

The girl suddenly decided to bury her face on her lap and pretend to sleep/rest/cry. The boy then got out his mobile and began sending a message. The SMS beep was enough to get the girl sit upright and examine the message. She then began keying in a reply (I made a furtive glance at her cell screen but I couldnt look openly enough to read its contents). I think that made them patch up. The boy then dialled her number and they murmured to each other from their individual phones sitting hardly 4 feet apart. By then they had reached their destination, Spencer Plaza where many a romantic pair while away their time. The fellow paid for them both and they walked away together hand in hand.

No, it is not much of an incident but sitting in the auto, I found it terribly funny. Not to mention the myriad uses of the cell phone!

There are times you can hear women talk over the phone or to fellow-passengers about their life in general (sometimes you can get their entire life history in that half-an-hour ride) or what their children are doing and how much they earn, even to the last paisa. And they are not the least embarassed in letting absolute strangers hear personal details. Such is India and Indians. We dont believe in being self-conscious.