This list is for those who do not like to read in (moving) vehicles.
- Fight your rickshaw- wallah’s battles. Take his side. Wave your fists at cars. But make sure your boss isn’t in one of them.
- Observe the feet that whiz past in other rickshaws. It can be very entertaining and a great exercise in creativity. All kinds of shoes, chappals, clad-in-interesting-fabrics, hairy legs, smooth calves, gnarled feet, jewellery, nail polish, green and gold bangles, the dangled cigarette, the polished men’s formal shoes, frayed pant hems, chipped nails, bright red nails, golden sandals, bothered heels and occasionally the fisher-woman’s basket. All I can think of are the numerous stories each of these can help weave.
- Occasionally you will meet a curiosity-seeker peeping out the rickshaw. Just glare. Because that’s what you when you catch someone’s eye in Mumbai.
- Cut and file nails. But, yes, bear in mind the superstition and chuck all nails (cut and otherwise) at people honking in traffic.
- Memorise number plates. After a while you will realise all the same people travel the same distance every day and really go nowhere.
Bang on. Spoken like a veteran.
talk to your rickshawwallah
hear his stories
muchos-fun.