The Honest
Taxi Driver by Zeenat Hussain (JR93MH04)
What all is involved in a taxi drivers life; physical labour
and not much exercise for the grey matter. One such driver was Anwar. He got
his driving license from the back door. He did not learn how to drive a car,
neither was he aware of the traffic rules and regulations. He was however, a
man with a generous heart, known for his hospitality.
Overheard
conversation,( as he sat with his mates at a tea stall). “Tea keeps me on my
feet”, have another, everything should be done in moderation”. “Tea is a milder
addiction”. The conversation drifted to the price of petrol and passengers.
“Things have become so expensive. I bought a kilo of meat for Rs. 150/-. It
seems that if the price does not come down, it will be difficult for us to make
ends meet”.
One
of the reasons why Anwar stood out amongst his mates was his wife. She never
harassed him for extra money. The hard work that he put in was evident from his
bronze rugged skin tone. Tanned from the hours, days, years that he had spent
driving his cab, exposed to the merciless sun. He was so vigilant that he
pierced the distance with the sight of an eagle soaring in the skies and
nose-diving to pick up the prey from ground.
Proof of his vigilance, “stop the
thief, “cried the lady, whose purse had been snatched. Nobody moved from
amongst the onlookers. Anwar from a distance approached the scene of the theft;
“move aside” he roared “corner the thief”. The thief was a smart cookie.
Dodging Anwar he entered the alley and hid behind a rubbish can. To the thief’s
misfortune a cat inside the can scared of the noise the thief made, leapt out
of it. Anwar pounced on the thief and recovered the money from him.
Like
the lady above, his work led him to interact with persons from various strata
of society. Sometimes there were persons from affluent families also. One
bright sunny day when fate was to take a turn for Anwar, Mr. and Mrs. Ahmed sat
in his cab. “We want to go to Nazimabad. Will you take us?” “Hope in.” said
Anwer. ”We are going to this place for the first time. I hope you will be able
to follow our instructions,” said Mr.Ahmed. After clearing a few traffic jams,
they finally arrived at the destination. They got off on the main road and said
they would manage on foot the rest of the way.
To
his utter surprise Anwar found a parcel on the back seat of his cab. This was
when he stopped for a meal after dropping Mr and Mrs. Ahmed. The parcel had
jewellery inside. He was somewhat anxious regarding how to locate them so that
he could give them their parcel back. He searched for some form of
identification, but to no avail. His friends tried to persuade him to keep the
parcel. But he took pride in being honest and there was no way he would
compromise over it.
Little
did he know that this parcel was to seal the fate of a couple about to be
married? The couple was Ammar and Shagufta. Ammar and Shagufta had been engaged
for a year. It was customary to give dowry to the daughter. Not to display
wealth, but to support her in her new home, till she was self-sufficient.
He
reached home and asked his wife to keep the parcel in safe custody. Weeks
passed, and lo and behold, he spotted Mrs. Ahmed. She was shopping in a market
where he had just dropped a passenger. He hurriedly approached her and told her
that she had forgotten a parcel in his taxi. She told him, she had searched for
this parcel. She could not hold back her happiness and gratitude. “I was so
worried. The parcel had jewellery, which was my daughter’s dowry. I had fallen
sick due to the loss.”
This
jewellery was an heirloom. It had been handed down from Shagufta’s grandmother
to Shagufta’s mother and then to her. The grandmother was married to one of
Ammar’s father’s uncles. Shagufta’s grandmother had grey eyes and brown hair
and so had Shagufta. These qualities endeared Shagufta to Ammar.
Anwar
arranged for the jewels to be returned to Mrs. Ahmed. “We will expect you and
your family at the wedding”. Mrs. Ahmed’s happiness knew no bounds. The return
of the jewellery meant a big load off her delicate shoulders. Mrs. Ahmed just
could not stop praising Anwar. She told everyone she met, about how honest he
was and how difficult, it was to find people like him. She thanked God, five
times a day, when she prayed.
“Welcome
Anwar”. Anwar was welcomed in a big way at the wedding. All the family were
eager to know him, although he was not a rich man and the other guests were
all, well, rich people. But who could deny, that Anwar was ‘rich at heart’. He was the richest in the gathering at the
wedding. He walked, in with his head held high. He felt so good, after
returning the jewels. Although he was in a gathering of rich people, he did not
feel lost as he was bestowed with ‘wealth’ of honesty.
And
as Shagufta wore the wedding band, she looked at Anwar and smiled a smile of
gratitude, before she was whisked off to her new home. Her wedding was
memorable right from the beginning to the end. A new life, lay ahead of her,
and as she entered the threshold of her new home and prepared to remove the
heavy necklace, she heaved a sigh of relief, recalling all that had
happened.
