Thursday, January 3, 2008

Auto..Auto..Oi Auto!

I do not know why, but these three wheeled auto rickshaws fascinate me a lot. The vehicle is unique and so are their drivers. They form an important part of the culture of a city. You might have come across reviews that are given for free like “Bangalore Autos’ Oh! They are horrible, they don’t give any respect. They don’t come if the distance is short”; “Chennai Auto’s! Cheaters, they don’t talk in Hindi”;Delhi Auto’s! They never use the meter, they charge as they wish”. I surprise as to why these Autos are blamed for their driver’s mistakes. Poor Auto’s .. uch…ch..ch..

A normal Auto that we have seen so far can be narrated as follows;
  • A three wheeled motored metal box with no doors
  • A scooter with ceiling
  • A vehicle in which you save time and loose energy
  • A vehicle to travel if you have a girlfriend and don’t have your own vehicle
  • A vehicle with a meter which is fixed to fix the fare
  • A vehicle which can be used as a joy ride in Disney land
When time comes, every opinion, every stereotype will be shattered (For effect: Imagine your pc monitor shattering into pieces). My opinion about Auto was shattered on my visit to Jodhpur, a famous city in Rajasthan, India.
The Autos here can be really called as palace on three wheels (Thanks for the Indian Railways; it was easy for me to name it). I clicked few pictures for you. Sharing the same here….
Front View: I think these Autos are considered feminine. I have seen these two golden tails hanging in thre front somewhere else..Ya..It represents rettai jada (twin pony tail)

Internal: Driver with a hands free mobile (Safe driving). The men inside the photo frame are Himesh Reshamia and his fan. What is he doing here? He is the owner.

Side view: Curves at the right points. Covered enough and left enough. I mean this auto.

Above the driver: You would have seen Lord Shiva and few mirrors, but it also has a radio and cassette player, two loud speakers and a mini locker. (Likely competitor to Tata's one lac car)
The only thing that I missed is to test drive them. Will not miss during my next trip.

10 comments:

Anonymous said...

ha a gud one
it shows how much u ve been using this mode of transport staying here
and i can udnerstand u getting attracted so much towards it cause u ve never seen so much utilistaion of it in kafee zone... ;-)

ab next which mode of transport u targeting

aMus said...

heh..heh...so fially the humble auto has merited a post...that's nice!!!you should now travel free :)

Preethi said...

Wow... So much about an Auto??? :P I once wrote about Driving in Chennai ... After reading this, I think you might appreciate that post!!!

Abhinav said...

You can get the template for my blog from mistylook.org or sadish.net (the earlier versions of MistyLook theme), though they do not provide the three-column look for the MistyLook template. If the three-column is what you want, please let me know so I can mail the template to you. :-)

rayshma said...

i love autos! i haven't traveled in one in south india, except bangalore... but i love them in b'bay! esp the ones with himesh and altaf raja and aagam kumar nigam sound tracks! :D

ad libber said...

Your fascination with autos never ceases to amaze me.
Just a general question. How many passengers does an auto take in you r area? Is it legal (prolly not)?

Sharodindu said...

It seems that you have liked the decorated auto, nothing wrong, I also liked it. Creativity is a prominent characteristic of living being. Art lovers will never stop from flaunting there work. Nothing can stop them from doing so….
Do one thing…
Go to Google image search…type “Bus+Pakistan” or “Bus+Afghanistan”….look carefully at the pictures…shock!!! Beside the pictures of some burning buses (destroyed by bomb), there are some picture of buses which are exposing the vibrating combination of color and art work….
kaun kahta hai paththar me phul nahi khilta??

Anonymous said...

kalakkal post :)

Unknown said...

@Anonymous-The one lac car attracts me. hoping to see loads of fun through that.

@thinking aloud-Wow! thats a nice idea. I should ask them to carry me for free.

@ preeti- Read ur post too. I share the same feelings. Anyways missing Chennai.

@Abhinav - Checked it will change soon. Thanks a lot.

Unknown said...

@ rayshma - Is it really possible to enjoy music while sitting in an auto. I get mesmerized by the noise.Durrrrr..RRR...ttttt

@ ad libber - In my native place it is 3. I feel an auto is made for 3. Anything more than that makes the travel enjoyable but uncomfortable.

@ sharo-I checked those pics. Your explanation for art here is awesome.

@srikanth-I like your Manoranjitham blog.Nice to have you hear. Nandri thalaiva.