Yesterday when coming back home, i took an auto. We agreed on 20 bucks. I stay at a distance of about 1.5kms from office!! That guy spoke kannada, didnt speak hindi at all.. and asked a couple of things very rapidly.. i persevered with hindi... finally that guy sighed and said...
" Madame, actually my meter is not working. Is 20 bucks is what it takes to get to this place?"
Me - (stuttering)..well, yeah
Me - after i got over the initial shock at the sudden assualt on me of perfect english... "so what is your qualification?"
Auto driver - "Why do you ask?"
Me - " Just like that"
Him - "Well, i am a Bsc Microbiology"
Me - "!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!"
Me - " Why are you doing this? Why dont you try elsewhere?"
Him- "I am looking for a job in the the airlines industry"
Me -" Why dont you do something in a related field?"
Him - " I dont like Microbiology; did it only because of my parents"
And then i reached home. Totally awestruck!!! And thinking, what a waste!!! Maybe i should have at least said something.. i dont know!!!! But completely stupefied by this experience.
2 comments:
Reminds me of that one time I took a cab in Bombay. The cabbie started asking me what I'd studied. When I said Economics, he asked me what 'inflation' is. Terribly annoyed (not a big fan of talkative cabbies, I want to be left alone when traveling in a cab, it's part of my 'me-time'), I gave some haphazard answer... something to the effect of "inflation is an increase in price levels" & he went "it is not an increase in price levels. Inflation means a devaluation of the rupee!!!"
Turned out he was a Masters in Economics & was driving a cab b/c he thought he could make more money this way. The car belonged to him so he didn't have to give a major part of his earnings to someone else.
I was more amused than anything else!!
Its very perplexing isnt it!!!! Why do people do such things? I am ok if people doing something which is different from what they studied. But i truly believe that college/ PG gives you so much more exposure.. in terms of meeting people, understanding life, understanding how to tackle situations , so much more that i cannot verablise... as a comemnts at least.. its like throwing away all that.. not just that you would taken some other kid's seat who would be doing something like this becuase he couldnt get into college!!! Such a waste of itellectual abilities... but if the taxi guy was doing his own business, i guess it would be easier for me to accept this situation
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