Drivers & their idiosyncrasies

I had the privilege of getting a chauffer driven car as a perquisite when I became the Deputy C E O of Advertising Consultants India Ltd. in Delhi where I worked between 1971-74. I was 30 then. The  driver`s name  was `Bahadur`.  A good driver who also  knew all the etiquette that  every driver had to follow.

After I settled down in Chennai in 1974. I have had more than a dozen drivers driving my cars over the years.  Naturally with different capabilities and idiosyncrasies. I would like to share my experiences with a few of them.

There was Veera Raghhavan, claiming to be an Iyengar like me.  He had the habit of getting into a trance whenever the car neared or passed a Hanuman temple. His body would shake and he would become incoherent. It would be frightening to see him in that state while he was driving.  Because of which he would judiciously avoid going on the streets where he knew there was a Hanuman temple.

Seetharaman was a driver who believed in indulging in his favourite spirit every evening after office hours. When he came for duty in the morning, with red eyes, he would be stinking. Invariably , in the morning within a few minutes of driving the car, he would stop the car near the kerb, get down, go to a corner and could be seen vomiting. It was a sad and sickening sight. Needless to say that he didn`t last very long as a driver with me.

Then there was Prakash, an `absence minded professor`. A good driver, soft spoken but very forgetful and confused most of the time. Once I had gone to a Department Store. After shopping I returned  to the car and found the back door already opened for me to get in. Suddenly I remembered something I forgot to buy. I banged the door shut and went back to the store. When I came back I found the car and the driver missing.  Obviously Prakash had driven away the car thinking that I was already seated when he heard the back door being shut. He never looked back to see if I am there. Only after reaching  the office he realized his mistake.  He didn`t stay as my  driver for very long as he decided to become an Owner/Auto driver.  He probably thought a vehicle without doors is safer to drive!

The best of the lot was Srirangam. He was not only sincere in his job, but was extremely loyal. He would go beyond the call of duty to help any member of the family. A friendly soul, he was liked by every  one in my family.. However he had  one weakness. He would keep honking the horn constantly, even on empty roads. Very irritating to the passengers in the car. A very god fearing man, every morning he would religiously clean the car, pick flowers from the home garden and decorate the different idols of gods  placed on the dashboard of the car, which looked like a mini pooja room. He worked with me for nearly 15 years, until my retirement.  Even today he is in regular touch with me and visits our home on occasions. You must be lucky to get such good drivers!