Well, its strange how certain phenomena can have such a deep effect on people. Take the simple case of the place where I work, I have cabs that pick and drop me from work. The last I remember being picked and dropped was when I was in school. A red coloured ChunMun transport bus would pick us from the bus stop where a bunch of us would wait with eager anticipation. The driver was usually a surly old man with a patchy face and it was usual for him to first twirl his moushtache and watch us as we boarded the bus and then look nonchalantly across the road to see if there was some poor soul, who was late and was running at top speed, flaying her arms and the pig tails, red ribbons coming undone, with a parent in tow,carrying her bag or tiffin. The driver would more often than not, accelarate in a bid to make the already harried student, run like a sprinter running her last Olympic.
The next "pick and drop" was when I was in college - the wait for the U-Special, the last minute scramble for seats, ah! the madness, it was worth every memory I have. Those were then and to my mind, pick ups and drops were meant for student life.
But then came the Outsourcing culture, offices in the outskirts of Delhi,nocturnal work timings and with that came the now prevalent culture of taxi cabs. Well, they certainly are a welcome relief from the ordeal of waiting incessantly at a bus stop or haggling with crazy autowallahs. Most companies add 'Free Cabs' as an means to motivate people to take a job at a place that is 65 kms away from home and no person in a sane mind would choose to travel that distance on his own.
The cabs, apart from the fact that they transport one from office to home and home to office are also a great team building factor. For example, my cab mates have changed nearly thrice since I joined, which means that I know atleast 10 new people in the office.
The radio plays a huge role in binding unlikely cab mates. The nonsensical chit-chat of the friendly Radio Jockey can set many a conversations starting. It can cause a flurry of giggles amongst hitherto unknown people, who are now joined in laughter at the silliness of that one joke. And then with time, you become better colleagues, friends and better people. I know of people who are sad to leave a particular cab because they get so attached to the group.
From discourses on cooking, to palmistry, to sharing a common passion for food. Discovering new facts: Did you know that the Nawabi name of Golgappas is Paani Ke Bataashe or that in Bihar, the humble Paani poori is also known as 'Gupchup'. From discussing irritating landlords, to finding a place on rent, to discussing the significance of a 'Fast on Monday/ Thursday... These cab conversations are light hearted and can take one's mind off the crazy schedule at work. Those 60 minutes in the cab are exclusive and worth it.
