My little donation

Last night I was searching for an auto in Gwalior to visit one of my clients who happened to be a civil servant. This time winter had been really cold. As far as my memory goes, I can recall such bitter winter in the late 1990's. Most of 2000 has been pretty mild. As I shivered under two sweaters & a coat, the search for a conveyance became an absolute must. Just as I was about to lose hope, I saw this auto pass by me. I waved a hand at it only after it had passed. He saw me from his rear view. Retracing his steps, He asked me, " Where to?"..I said, " Race course road. I want you to wait there till my meeting ends & then drop me back to hotel". Bargaining is a very interesting phenomenon. Neither party knows the real value of the deal. As the two unreasonable quotes meet each other, the clash results in the determination of the true value of the deal. I had Rs. 100 in mind. Before he could reply, I knew he would quote a figure which blow me up like a grenade. He said, "Rs. 60 saahab". I said, "Deal!!". It was one of the very rare occasions, when the figure in mind was MORE than what such people quoted. ( For once I was not livid at an autorickshaw driver given my horrid experiences with these guys in Delhi, Chennai & Bangalore ).Honesty it seems is still prevalent. May be like an endangered species, but its there. Post that as we chugged along the narrow lanes of Gwalior. He asked me the address. I told him. For quite some time, he went in one direction. Then he suddenly stopped, "Saahab, Is you client an IAS or a PCS?"..I was stumped for a second. Then recovering I said, "PCS, why?" He replied," Oho Saahab, PCS live on another lane. Dont worry I will take you there". Normally you expect these guys to be street smart & know the inside out of the city. But differentiating between an IAS & a PCS??There are many MBAs, who will still scratch their head wondering what I am talking about. I even in my wildest dreams did not expect a rickshaw driver to distinguish between state & central civil servant. Then out of curiosity, I asked the usual question, "Babu, You seem very smart.." Before I could complete the sentence, he replied,"Saahab, this is not my real job. My daughter is studying for medical. I am working extra hard to finance her studies..." My question to him was like an arrow to a pot filled with water to the brim. It was heartening to see female education being alive & kicking at one of the smaller cities of the country. Our country is full of paradoxes, where on one side the country is grappling with the problem of an abysmally low sex ratio owing to the blaspheming acts of female foeticide, on the other here was a person with a white collar job driving an autorickshaw in biting cold. For a second I had tears in my eyes....soon to be replaced by frustration......At the end of journey, I handed him a Rs. 100 note. As he searched his pocket for change, I walked away.....