(Text and Photography by Pupps Roy)
His favourite film is "Dabang". He loves his Auto Rickshaw and he gave a secret pet name to it which cannot be mentioned here due to a no-breaking-promise deal. He doesn't stick to the traffic rules. He jumps red lights. He never wears his uniform. The shirt, which is a part of the uniform, is resting around the side view mirror of his Auto Rickshaw. He is wearing a baby pink t-shirt with his grey uniform trouser. He speeds away on the Delhi road strutting his coolest toy and murmuring the latest bollywood song liners. Young blood and it reflects in his demeanor. Meet Amit Kumar, 22 years old lad from Muzaffarbad District of Bihar but currently he made Delhi his home.
"I just started my work now, its 5pm. I will work till the night is over and then go home with a Pauwa(Quarter portion of alcohol), cook food, enjoy my drinks and will go off to sleep", happily says with a smile. He looks left, right and stares at the girl who is riding a scooty and stopped at a traffic jam next to his auto. He straightened up his shirt collar and says "I love Dilli girls. I get a lot in the night. They are good fun. But our relation starts and ends here in this Auto", Amit says as his green auto meanders through the busy evening traffic.
This jovial, fun loving guy is really enjoying in Delhi. His meaningless banter is annoying but it has an interesting side when you realize how quickly this young Bihari guy has adapted the Delhi culture and became a cool Delhiite Like every other young Delhiite he goes to the cinemas with friends, roams around in CP, loves chole bature and also often visits India Gate in the night to eat ice-cream. He pays 250rs rent a day to his Auto owner and stays somewhere in the narrow lanes of Pahargunj with his two roommates in a one room set where costs 2500Rs a month. "There's a lot of money in Auto business. I will earn few more thousands and then go back to my village and take a sabbatical". This is the usual practice of these Bihar bound boys. They come here, ride Autos and save 20000Rs to 30000Rs and then go back to their native land and chill out and work in their paddy fields, Sugarcane groves and they are back again in Delhi after 3-4 month. Delhi is a fatal attraction. The pull of delhi is so magnetic that everyone has to come back and so does Amit. "This time my parents are trying to get me married". Why not from someone from Delhi? "I will only marry the one my parents choose for me. I am happy that way. But I will continue to live in Delhi after my marriage. I may travel more to Bihar in a year but I cannot part with Delhi. It’s my bread and butter and the place I love so much and it’s my city now".
"I meet much kind of people in my ride. Good, bad Worst. Some people don’t want to pay any fare, some pay extra, some even offer in kinds. But Delhi is full of different kind of people. Our five fingers are not the same Sir. But mostly I meet good people during my ride. Thank you Sir". He has no time to carry out a long conversation. He returns the change and pulls the long stick to start the auto engine. A few meters ahead a young working girl flags his auto and it disappears in the busy outer ring road of Delhi.
His favourite film is "Dabang". He loves his Auto Rickshaw and he gave a secret pet name to it which cannot be mentioned here due to a no-breaking-promise deal. He doesn't stick to the traffic rules. He jumps red lights. He never wears his uniform. The shirt, which is a part of the uniform, is resting around the side view mirror of his Auto Rickshaw. He is wearing a baby pink t-shirt with his grey uniform trouser. He speeds away on the Delhi road strutting his coolest toy and murmuring the latest bollywood song liners. Young blood and it reflects in his demeanor. Meet Amit Kumar, 22 years old lad from Muzaffarbad District of Bihar but currently he made Delhi his home.
"I just started my work now, its 5pm. I will work till the night is over and then go home with a Pauwa(Quarter portion of alcohol), cook food, enjoy my drinks and will go off to sleep", happily says with a smile. He looks left, right and stares at the girl who is riding a scooty and stopped at a traffic jam next to his auto. He straightened up his shirt collar and says "I love Dilli girls. I get a lot in the night. They are good fun. But our relation starts and ends here in this Auto", Amit says as his green auto meanders through the busy evening traffic.
This jovial, fun loving guy is really enjoying in Delhi. His meaningless banter is annoying but it has an interesting side when you realize how quickly this young Bihari guy has adapted the Delhi culture and became a cool Delhiite Like every other young Delhiite he goes to the cinemas with friends, roams around in CP, loves chole bature and also often visits India Gate in the night to eat ice-cream. He pays 250rs rent a day to his Auto owner and stays somewhere in the narrow lanes of Pahargunj with his two roommates in a one room set where costs 2500Rs a month. "There's a lot of money in Auto business. I will earn few more thousands and then go back to my village and take a sabbatical". This is the usual practice of these Bihar bound boys. They come here, ride Autos and save 20000Rs to 30000Rs and then go back to their native land and chill out and work in their paddy fields, Sugarcane groves and they are back again in Delhi after 3-4 month. Delhi is a fatal attraction. The pull of delhi is so magnetic that everyone has to come back and so does Amit. "This time my parents are trying to get me married". Why not from someone from Delhi? "I will only marry the one my parents choose for me. I am happy that way. But I will continue to live in Delhi after my marriage. I may travel more to Bihar in a year but I cannot part with Delhi. It’s my bread and butter and the place I love so much and it’s my city now".
"I meet much kind of people in my ride. Good, bad Worst. Some people don’t want to pay any fare, some pay extra, some even offer in kinds. But Delhi is full of different kind of people. Our five fingers are not the same Sir. But mostly I meet good people during my ride. Thank you Sir". He has no time to carry out a long conversation. He returns the change and pulls the long stick to start the auto engine. A few meters ahead a young working girl flags his auto and it disappears in the busy outer ring road of Delhi.
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Amit on his speeding wheels |
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| His resting shirt around the side view mirror. |
