Story of a driver.

Man can't live alone. Man is a social animal.It is society which enables us to be a man. It is society which enables us to be a man. It is which keeps us busy & we wouldn't know how time passes.

It is true that we must give to society more than what it gives us. Society comprises of all types of people. It acquaints us with all kind of characters. One would know what is life only if they mingle with it.

Where there is no good & bad ? It is everywhere . Where there is water it is there. It is in a society too.

Look at society.

One is provided with everything by God but always cries over one or another matter. Never happy. Another is not provided with anything. His life is hard. Yet he laughs & makes other laugh. One is lazy. One is active. One lives his life borrowing from others. How many handicapped are there in it Some do not have hands.Some don't have legs. Some do not have eyes at all. Some are not blessed with health at all. Some live in mansions. Some live in huts Some live on footpath. Some are lazy. Some are active. We need not go to heaven or hell. Heaven & hell we come across in a society. How many stories we come across in it Every society is a mni world. One who can swim well can only swim in an ocean.

I remembered Raghu, just when I was recollecting my trip to England in 2015.All are not blessed with same quantum of memory. All can't be remembered too . All dear & near, great personalities & unique personalities only can be remembered . Similarly all incidents in life cannot be remembered. Man has limitations.When a person is remembered, person presents before our mind's eye. We recapitulate. One by one scene good or bad darts until it is completely exhausted.

After touring Europe through Thomas cook I Ianded at London to be with my daughter & son in law at Swindon for about 20 days . The world may be beautiful nothing is more beautiful & affectionate than our native place. In our return journey , we had to travel from Kent Rd , Swindon to Gatwick Airport. A taxi was engaged & fare was 100 pounds. Oh approximately Rs 10000/- But what surprised me was driver. He was tip top wearing Tie & suit who saluted me. He was friendly & helpful.

2008 was a year when I underwent two major surgeries. Day & night who was at our service at that time was Raghu, the driver. He was in twenties. He belonged to a village near Talakadu in Ramnagar district. Talakadu is a desert-like town on the left bank of the Kaveri river 45 km (28 miles) from Mysore and 133 km (82 miles) from Bangalore. Talakadu is a pilgrim center & historical place. It is said to be born out of a curse from Alamelamma to Mysore kings.Here we find about 30 temples submerged in sand. Every 12 years a fair is conducted here called Panchalinga Darshana in honour of the five shiva temples. It was Raghu who took us round these places & nearby Shivanasamudra. (24 km) from Talakadu.

Even though it is 21 st century families are not planned in villages. They are quite big. Raghu's family was also big. It consisted of 4 brothers & 2 sisters. Raghu was the youngest Raghu's parents were old. Father was sick. One of his sisters was in fifties . She had a marriageable daughter by name Nisha . Now a days villagers do not opt usually names of goddesses to their daughters .They are advanced. Cinemas & television series have influenced & impacted on them immensely. They prefer names of famous film actresses. Nisha was beautiful & ambitious. Her ambition was to be an actress.

Raghu was short & not good looking. He was hard working. honest & affectionate.He was not cunning & dynamic.Drivers are by & large not an affluent class or educated. The majority of them take up driving for their livelihood. Character builds a man.Raghu had an impeccable character. He was neither a drunkard, nor a gambler, nor a smoker. In short ,he was best suited to be a car driver.

Nowadays we find roads , auto rickshaw, & schools in villages. India is developing. Days are changing. Though literacy has been spreading in villages these days. Raghu & Nisha didn't step into high school. They have to strive for their livelihood.Their village being in the vicinity of Bengaluru & Mandya they visit them for one or another reason. They are influenced by urban culture. Many of them are employed in Bengaluru. When people from other states are coming & working at Bengaluru . It is no wonder or surprise. Bengaluru is home to a large number of people who have migrated from other states.

Bengaluru is Silicon valley of India. It is prospering day by day. Now a days , one can find motor car at every door . It is no more a luxury, it is a necessity. It is easy to find jobs in cities especially car driver's job. A car which is owner's asset would be in the driver's hand. He enjoys without any investment at the owner's cost. Besides, he gets remunerated too.

Raghu could find job as driver in his teens. Every Tom Dick & Harry get a licence these days. There are countless driving schools in city.There are all types of malpractices to obtain driving licence expeditiously. Raghu was an efficient driver who was not only driving cautiously but also was aware that owner had invested huge sum over vehicle & no damage should be caused to it . Safety first speed next was always his slogan. His honesty & sincerity paid dividends & could save some money. He was contemplating marriage. Whether poor or rich, educated or uneducated build castles in the air regarding life . Raghu too had many dreams. A driver's job is not very lucrative. Cost of living is high in cities. Major chunk of their earnings go to house or room rent.

Life is not a bed of roses . There is no family where there is no one or another problem. One fine morning Nisha was not found in the village. She had disappeared . After,hectic search here & there she was found in Bengaluru. The family decided to marry her to Raghu & their wedding took place.

Raghu was not handsome as said earlier . Nisha was not happy with the marriage.However ,Raghu was loving her very much. Every day while returning home from work he was carrying her fruits & sweets. Raghu was looking after her very well. He was not leaving no stone unturned to keep her happy.It is surprising why God doesn't make her realise what is there in appearance. I remember what my colleague Shetty used to say always . He used to exclaim " My wife is not beautiful but her nature is golden"

One night when he returned home from his driving assignment ,he found her dead. She had committed suicide . Usually there would be a number of reasons for a suicide. The main reasons would be disappointment, depression & disgust.

The owner of house assisted Raghu to carry the corpse to village & bury it without any hula gala. The owner did it otherwise he would have found it difficult to find a new tenant. Whereabouts of Raghu are not known nowadays.Why honest people have more tests than dishonest in the world , it is always not known.

Those who have a lot of expectations & ambitions would not stick to a job. They are rolling stones. Raghu was not of that type. His personal problems might have made him quit the job.