Once you have struck a bargain regarding the fare and made the decision to board the auto and have taken your seat ,the driver becomes the 'king'.
If the driver is middle aged he will fill your unwilling ears with his woes-always financial .He will give you the minutest details of the loans he has taken,the meagre amount he makes from plying his auto in the perennially potholed roads with self congratulatory perseverance,the dishonesty of petrol pump guys who specifically targeted him and filled his tank with adulterated petrol there by profiting at his expense ,the exorbitant rent he has to pay the owner of the auto and the parsimony of the passengers he has to cart all day [meaning you].
If the driver is sozzled ,you had it .He will launch a diatribe on the perversity of politicians and policemen and then philosophize about life and god!You surly must pay heed to the philosophy being expounded as only that can comfort you and help you develop a detachment towards life as he skids and stumbles through the traffic dangerously .
If the driver is a young chap barely out of his teens he will whiz past cars ,dart in and around belligerent buses ,and drive at a break neck speed like as if he was negotiating the race tracks of Chozhavaram. Your screams and plea to drive at a lesser pace will fly past deaf ears and you will be dumped at your destination with an triumphant air of one who has just won the formula car races.
Travelling by auto in Chennai is a challenge that can be overcome only by' hardy' bargainers who possess ' sturdy' hearts.
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