Getting into an Auto rickshaw in Bangalore, can be a perfect hypothesis for 'survival of the fittest'. I am sure Darwin would agree. The public transport is not Bangalore's forte. Please don't ask me thwarting questions like 'what is Bangalore's forte?' So the 'aam juntha' are at the mercy of the high-handed Auto drivers. But any weathered Auto commuter would have invariably devised his own method, of getting the experience to endurable levels. I fall in the category, which requests the Auto rickshaw driver to drive slowly and clutches the seat-cushion nervously.

You ask the Auto driver "Koramangala?" He will just turn his face away. Being a seasoned commuter, I know that it means that he is not interested and that is his way of letting you know. He cannot waste his precious time by uttering a 'No' to you. "Sarjapur Road?" you beg and hear"1 and ½ "…Why should I pay him 1 and ½ in broad daylight? "Hebbal?" you propose and "Double", he disposes!!!! "I have to come back empty Madam"…Now can I organize another passenger for him to return back???

Sometimes when you are in a hurry, you have no choice but to be patient and conciliatory and accept their demands. I have many a times; when indignant and angry, even felt that they should have some kind of display board on the Autos that would highlight the places where he would be willing to go. It would at least make the commuter's job a little easy. He does not have to run from one Auto to another begging and egging them to take him. Of-course, there is still a risk that the Auto driver might have a fancy not go to the place he claims he would on that particular day!!! So well, that may not be the solution to the problem after all.

I am sure most of us could write an epic on the junked small box fixed on the grill before the passengers' seat called the meter. That the fare stipulated by the local authorities which shows up on the meter, is not always what should be ... might not augur well, but doctored meters and the latest increase in Auto fare only adds to the confusion. I notice that some carry a faded photocopy of the new rate conversion chart which is hardly legible, while some seem to know the figures verbatim. While they definitely deserve credit for their mathematical prowess, I am miffed when I learn that I land up paying extra. Now I don't even hesitate to be rude to them, when it comes to listening to their whims and fancies.

In the years as a commuter, I can vouch that I have seen it all. The lecherous drivers, the fancy interiors that could put even a Bollywood set to shame and the jarring music. Not to forget their regular citation in various crime stories.

I should not deny credit where it is due...at least in Bangalore auto drivers do not shy away from using meters, unlike many other metros where you are robbed in broad day light as they refuse to use the meters. This is not all; I have even come across auto drivers who are really nice and pleasant as well. The messiah's who will agree to put down the meter even for short distances, are very polite and the ride pleasant without making it look like James Bond riding a tuk-tuk in a Master Card commercial. With whom you don't have to haggle to decide on the fare and who will give you the exact change.

I appreciate such people and always make sure to thank them for this unpleasant job of running around the city and maneuvering Bangalore traffic for their livelihood. A polite smile or just a kind word makes a huge difference in their lives too.

Like always, whenever I am confronted with a problem, my instinct is to seek the underlying causes that give rise to the symptom which we perceive as the problem. What are the structural features of our society that make rudeness and cheating so integral to it? Why and when did it arise? If we fully understand its genesis-both in human nature and in the social system -perhaps then we may have a handle on a possible solution.