Rickshawalas play an important role in Indian society. Interestingly, people from all different socio-economic classes use auto rickshaws as a mode of transportation. Thus, many poor Indians find jobs in this field and are able to support their families. A rickshaw driver usually supports a family of 6-8 people, and his working day is about 10 hours a day. One can only imagine stress and uncertainty related to this profession, because one can never be sure he will have enough customers and earn enough rupees to support the family.
Furthermore, majority of rickshawalas do not own their auto rickshaw, but they rent it every day. This brings an additional uncertainty, as the driver has to make sure he makes enough earning for himself and for covering the fixed expenses. What was really surprising for me while in India, is that besides all these concerns, the drivers never failed to be friendly, take me to places I needed to go and talk to me on our way there. I feel these rides helped me get to know India better. Of course, my poor knowledge of Hindi also helped in dealing with the drivers and giving directions.
One of the main sources for this presentation was my personal experience, and my talks with the drivers and people of India. Being interested in economic development organizations, I used a researches published through the World Bank and GTZ (German Development Service) in order to gain statistical information and details. Some of the photos used in the presentation were taken by me, and some from internet (I added footnotes for the ones taken from the internet).
Pai, Madhav. World Bank. Rep. EMBARQ, Jan. 2011. Web. Nov. 2011. <http://siteresources.worldbank.org/EXTURBANTRANSPORT/Resources/341448-1296493837095/Motorcycle_Pai_TT2011.pdf>;.
GTZ, Informal Public Transport. Rep. GTZ - German Development Service, June 2010. Web. Nov. 2011. <http://www.sutp.org/documents/READLIST-IPT-160610-EN.pdf>;.
Comments