I came across him on a hot afternoon in Mumbai on one of my local trips for work. His name was marked as Dayanand in the app. Simply dressed, with unkept hair, old – such were his looks. He seemed to be about 55 years of age, probably from South Indian origin (from Karnataka – he later confirmed). But his outlook on life was not like a typical Mumbai uber driver one would expect to come across. And it was a pleasant contrast to his looks!
The conversation started when I inquired about the car he was driving. It was a new car and the plastic wrapper covering the seats were still intact. He started talking about the company from where he rents the car. It was based in Thane. He could take any car from the lot and pay 800 per day till the car was with him. Maintenance was taken care by the company, even for tire puncture. Most of Uber cars are from this company. They have thousands of cars all over India. He seemed quite content with his employer. This was atypical, as usually the cabdrivers I have met complains about the high commissions they were charged.
He went on to explain why he did not buy his own car. He felt that is a lot of attachment. He said, “Put oil on your hands and that eat your food. It will not stick on your hands. Why keep attachments in this temporary home?”
All will die one day, and after that the family will cry for a few days. Then they will move on. The rest of the world will not even care.
He gets up early and stays with himself, alone for sometime. Walks around barefoot on pebbles on the street, observes the nature. He observes the mungi (ants in Marathi). They are busy working, having got up with nature. And if something obstructs their path, they don’t stop moving, they find another. And life moves on…
This simple man in white cotton shirt kept me thinking of how we stress over the small things in life, and the world seem to come to an end. And how just a small change in our outlook will make life so much more pleasant.
