Till date, I’ve been quite lucky with taxis. Touchwood. After a hectic day, there’s nothing more pleasant and soothing than a cab ride. But my taxi sojourns have been far more exciting because of the taxiwallahs and our enthralling conversations.

The classic case is of the Hemgange Tel (hair oil). After a long day, my colleague and I wanted to hitch a cab to a nearby eatery; we managed to get inside one, without telling the cab driver our destination. He seemed to be fuming and just before he could ask us the destination, I could get the whiff of Hemgange right across.
I happened to know about Hemgange through a friend. Having learnt about its popularity, I too had bought the hair oil from my chemist.
I promptly smiled and asked, “Aap Hemgange tel lagate hain kya?”
Believe me, he instantly smiled, as if all his worries had been wiped out in a fraction of a second. He couldn’t express his happiness and merely muttered, asking if I too used the same oil, to which I nodded in the affirmative. We chatted up on how the Hemgange oil is extremely soothing because of its “thanda thanda cool cool” effect.
My colleague froze, but it introduced me to one of the most important part of their lives: Hemgange oil. Practically, four out of five taxiwallahs use it and are extremely happy, when you ask them about it. Not to mention, how peaceful your journey will be, if you bond over Hemgange.
Another integral aspect of travelling in a taxi, is the radio. Usually, before mentioning my destination to the taxiwallah, I ask him, if he has a radio. I’m glad that the new fleet of Santro and Wagon R cabs have radios; it makes the ride much more comfortable. However, the other day, I played DJ instead. This taxi chacha wanted to listen to music and his stereo system wasn’t working; I gladly obliged to play music from my cellphone. From Lata to Rafi, my collection belted out some of the greatest old Hindi numbers. By the end of it, he was more than happy and thanked me for a wonderful ride, before driving away with a smile. And that is what really makes me happy — leaving people with a smile.
Another taxi chacha stunned me with his story. Mishra chacha and I got talking about politics and how inflation had hit the roof. Somehow we veered towards education and he waxed eloquent about his son studying engineering at the prestigious Benaras Hindu Unive-rsity. He spoke with equal pride about his daughters, who had gone on to become teachers. I was so touched by his regard for education and how he struggled to make ends meet for his children, who are doing so well now. And though he didn’t need to drive
the taxi, he said he did it out of pure passion and for the happiness of his family.
There have been numerous cases about taxiwallahs, their homes, their families, their desire to study and make their children study amidst the stark reality of making ends meet. And in all this, what touches me is their zest for life, their humour and their patience to endure long hours of traffic and pollution.
And as another chacha puts it, “Beta zindagi har pal jiyo aur haste raho, kya pata kal ho na ho.” It might sound filmy, but this chacha is an avid reader of Sufi teachings; he reads the Gita and Quran and also fills me in on how he loves reading the newspapers. I kid you not, he holds a distinction in English literature and speaks chaste Urdu and English. I am just fortunate to have come across such wonderful people, who strive so hard to keep themselves going. They surely are a source of inspiration to survive in this mad city.
So, the next time you think of fuming over a taxiwallah’s refusal to take you somewhere, simply ask him about Hemgange Tel and you’ll explore a world of fascinating stories.