In which there’s a happy ending
Ammani, who’s currently in Chennai, has something to report.
Madras autos, like the city itself, have had a lot of bad press. But incidents such as this prove that there’s still plenty that is good about them.
Here’s what happened.
It all started last night when I took an auto home from Besant Nagar. I paid the autorickshaw driver the bargained Rs.60 and entered my parents’ house. No sooner had I set the bags down than I realised that I had left my camera behind in the auto. I raced to the door but the auto had already left. We went back to Besant Nagar auto stand scanning every passing auto frantically for one that bore a ‘Jesus’ sticker at the top of the windscreen and a picture of MGR at the bottom. Predictably enough, we drew a blank.
[…]Which is why when Ramesh came knocking on our door this morning, my mother could scarcely believe her eyes. She followed me down to Saravana Bhavan where I had gone for breakfast. As if our reaction on receiving the news was not confirmation enough, I gave a detailed description of my camera which left Ramesh in no doubt as to who it belonged to.
He told me that a couple that had got into the auto after me had claimed the camera theirs. And that he (Ramesh) had refused to part with it as he wasn’t convinced that it was. He did not budge despite repeated threats from them. He told me that he had left it at home as he didn’t want to be carrying it around and risk losing it. We drove all the way to Sholinganallur where I was further confronted by his wife. If the owner has lodged a police complaint, she told me, then the police will be after us. Fortunately, there was some footage of me in the tape in the camera and I played it back to her. And she too was convinced about the ownership.
Ramesh would not accept my small token of gratitude and I had to pry open his fingers and thrust the rupee notes into his hand. Later we went to Mylapore police station to withdraw my complaint and the Inspector was full of praise for Ramesh. You should have seen him beaming, his eyes glistening with pride.
Read the whole story
That’s great to read. I don’t doubt the fact that there are still people like him, it’s just that they are rare, very rare. :)
very very rare.. how much did u pay him ?
I too had such a nice incident. Some two years back while I was going through Nelson Manickam Road to my Press my hand bag contained 1000’s of Rupees fell down which I have not noticed and reached my Press and I have not noticed this at all. The Auto Ricksha followed me took the Bag. From the visiting Cards kept inside the bag he got the address and by an hours time he called on my press and wanted to know whether I lost any Bag, then only I searched and found that my bag is missed. He wanted to have some Identification and when I told it contains so many bundles of notes withdrawn from Syndicate Bank Aminjikarai Branch he wanted to check the same at his present and then handed over tha bag to me. But what he has told me that when he took the bag from the road a few fellows of that area surrounded him and asked him to hand it over to them to pass on to the same to the addressee through the neareby Police Station. When he told them that the address is there in the bag and he wanted to give direct at the address they intimidated him that he has to face the consequencies if the bag is not handed over to them. Then he asked them to accompany him to the address they refused to do so. When I offered some gift he refused to accept the smae. I asked him to remeber me when he needs some help. After six months time when his girl passed SSLC with good marks he informed me over phone from the Phone Number I gave to him. I asked his address and I greeted him at his house at Thirumangalam Housing Board Calony and I got an admission for his daughter in one of the good schools l for the group she wanted through one of my friend who is an officer in SBI and I paid all the school fee for the balance of the two years and compelled him to accept it. In such incidents the value of what we give is to be valued by the piece of mind which we got.
I too had such a nice incident. Some two years back while I was going through Nelson Manickam Road to my Press my hand bag contained 1000’s of Rupees fell down which I have not noticed and reached my Press and I have not noticed this at all. The Auto Ricksha followed me took the Bag. From the visiting Cards kept inside the bag he got the address and by an hours time he called on my press and wanted to know whether I lost any Bag, then only I searched and found that my bag is missed. He wanted to have some Identification and when I told it contains so many bundles of notes withdrawn from Syndicate Bank Aminjikarai Branch he wanted to check the same at his present and then handed over tha bag to me. But what he has told me that when he took the bag from the road a few fellows of that area surrounded him and asked him to hand it over to them to pass on to the same to the addressee through the neareby Police Station. When he told them that the address is there in the bag and he wanted to give direct at the address they intimidated him that he has to face the consequencies if the bag is not handed over to them. Then he asked them to accompany him to the address they refused to do so. When I offered some gift he refused to accept the smae. I asked him to remeber me when he needs some help. After six months time when his girl passed SSLC with good marks he informed me over phone from the Phone Number I gave to him. I asked his address and I greeted him at his house at Thirumangalam Housing Board Calony and I got an admission for his daughter in one of the good schools l for the group she wanted through one of my friend who is an officer in SBI and I paid all the school fee for the balance of the two years and compelled him to accept it. In such incidents the value of what we give is to be valued by the piece of mind which we got.
Awww!! Vazhga Ramesh! Valarga Chennai auto!!
Very Nice. Inspite of all the atrocities happening in India, It still rains only becase there are still a handfull people of him around.