Strangers

Auto drivers are a cursed lot in Hyderabad for a variety of reasons ranging from their rude behaviour to tampered meters and their unreasonable demands. But 2 days back I came across an auto driver who willingly admitted that his meter wasn't working properly and this action of his left me completely dumbfounded for a few moments. For someone like me who has gotten used to arguing with these guys and consider it as natural as breathing, it was a rude awakening. I still chide myself for not being in the right presence of mind to appreciate him enough. A part of me also wants to thank him for the dignified manner in which he chose to behave because it made a tiny,wee bit of me believe in humanity once again.

They say there are two sides to every coin and I believe that the good side shows itself less than one would have liked. Hence though there are people who have managed to chip the wall of cynicism that I have built around myself, there are countless others who re-enforce it with double the brick and mortar that was chipped away.