Children Short Story – Need wit to deal in a new place
Photo credit: mimiliz from morguefile.com
Swapnil was about to travel to Bengaluru for the first time for his job. He was happy and at the same time started finding out for people who had already had been there. He got to find also few of his choice and came to discover a lot of things from them required for him, about the new place. He came to know a lot of good things about Bengaluru like its weather, the greenery, the tidiness and others. At the same time he was also warned by few about some difficulties he might has to face there. But anyway Swapnil was all set to travel for his new job in the damn new place.
Since he would get the reimbursement for the plane fare, Swapnil booked a flight ticket for him. It was a pleasant journey for him altogether. But as he reached the Bengaluru airport, he found a lot of vehicles as choices by which he could travel to his guest house. He had a lot of luggage with him and so dint feel like travelling in Volvo bus with all those. He had an option of travelling in cab, but that also was a bit costly and so ultimately he decided to make his trip to his guest house in autorickshaw.
But then he remembered one point which he was warned for by one of his friend before coming to Bengaluru. These autorickshaws always look for chances. There are a couple of options to avail the autorickshaw. One by metre and the other by contract. And at a time one family has to book a full autorickshaw to travel to wherever they want. The autorickshaws didnt run in share.
Now the moment they see one new passenger, that is the one who is new to Bengaluru, or may be not sure of all roads, they somehow came to know this, they would take full chance of that and would take him through the longest route so that the passenger has to pay a lot more than he had had to pay originally if he was taken by another way. Swapnil had had a chance to make a contract and go but somehow noone could give an idea about how much could be the fare in general from airport to his guest house, as because noone who had been in Bengaluru before from Swapnil’s locality’s tea shop, had travelled in this route in particular. So Swapnil would not be able to bargain around exact fare in that. So he had only option left with him to travel in metre but has to play some trick he knew, so that the driver takes him in shortest route.
Swapnil again was known for a good memory and so was sure that for once if he could come to know one route, he would never forget that in his whole life. So for that he has to travel this time without any knowledge of the exact route. Again there is no use of giving the driver the belief somehow as if he is quite familiar with Bengaluru, as the drivers in this case was very experienced in understanding that who is familiar and who is not.
So Swapnil hired one auto, made it clear to the driver to where he wanted to go and boarded on that with all his luggage He was sure that there was no use of requesting the driver to take the shortest route, as he wont be taking that for his business, even if he for show agreed. So Swapnil started thinking deeply for some trick which he could play and play soon before the driver takes the longest route.
Fortunately Swapnil found one also and tried to implement that after sometime, so that if the driver getting trapped in his trick asks him to leave the auto in the midst of his whole journey, he has some valid point to fight with and that is that since he was not reached to his required destination, he would not even pay the amount shown in the metre till that point.
So as planned, Swapnil after sometime pretended to call one of his friend in his cell. Swapnil had got some idea from his friend about how much ideally it could take him from the airport to his guest house. He knew that the auto driver understands Hindi, which he came to know while explaining him his destination. So he started communicating with that virtual friend of his in Hindi only.
He said, “Hey Srini, how are you man? Now I have come to join your company from tomorrow. You remember once you were in Kolkata in our organisation and now I am in Bengaluru for working in your organisation. They gave me a good hike and so am going to join here. In fact I am on the way from the Bengaluru airport to the guest house. But friend I am in one trouble. Could you help me. I mean where is your house? I mean how far is it from airport? Will it be anyway nearer than my guest house. No actually suddenly I am having a severe stomach aitch. I mean I can at the most control for 1 hour, but not more than that. Hope this driver is not getting me. Sorry, what did you say? Your house is more far than the guest house?
O no! Srini frankly speaking, I am feeling like after 1 hour I have to complete this act of mine in this auto only. How much this auto driver tries to convince me to get out and show me somewhere else, I wont go, as I cant travel with these luggages to that place, as I dont have that strength in me anymore due to this pressure, nor could I leave it in the auto with him and go. Also if he leaves me in middle of the road and wants to go away, the metre is currently showing 50 rupees and I would not pay him that also, as I was not reached to the place where originally I intended to go. So how much extra charge could the driver ask from me for this act? Hello, hello…..”
“Oh! the phone got disconnected..”, normally he should have told this in his mother tongue but he continued in Hindi and again said, “No need of connecting anymore as I dont have that energy also to dial again with the half getting spent in resisting this pressure.”
Swapnil saw that the driver was staring at Swapnil time and again through his looking glass. Swapnil was at those times was perfect in expressing that out also properly. Swapnil knew he had now scared the driver enough and that he would take now the shortest route immediately even if he had taken one longest by then. Swapnil even felt as if the driver took one u turn to avoid the longest route he has taken so far to take the shortest route instead. He found they came to a point where they had come before as well and went to another road than the one they went to the last time.
The driver pretended to as if he had done one mistake by forgetting, but Swapnil understood he actually took the shortest route and not the longest one like last time. Swapnil also felt that suddenly after his friend calling act, suddenly the speed of the auto was also increased. He was already keeping a watch till now. The driver was also looking at his watch quite frequently as if how much is the distance he has to reach in much less than 1 hour. Swapnil took a good note of all the roads so that the next time he travels in this route, he could again go by metre and then could command the drivers to take route of his choice. The drivers again dont refuse to take routes they are told to, if they see the passenger inside is correct.
Swapnil reached his guest house exactly in 55 minutes and also the metre showed a fare of 120 rupees. He knew after the u turn, from the point from where they started in a different road and till that point from airport is indeed the shortest route. Only time and money that was taken more was because of that small intention of that driver to try to take the longest route for a small period of time. That at the max have costed him with 5 minutes and 10 rupees in extra.
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