Write-up on Autos, Bangalore, Calling people by their first names.

I don't like to bargain for five ten rupees, especially with auto-wallahs.

Okay, so you don't have value for money? I don't agree with this statement.
Or you allow people to fool you. I don't agree with this either.

My way of thinking is, what harm does it make to your life if you pay, even daily, say 5 rupees extra, but those five rupees could be of use in different ways to the auto-wallah, say a paan or a newspaper.

That's why, I never haggle with auto-wallahas and I don't like it when others do too.

We can easily spend 'x' amount on 'xyzee' etc. for ourselves and when it comes to spending five rupees more for auto-fares, our cost-cutting and saving mode comes on. No, not atleast for me.

I eat at the Dhaba and daily I leave the change for Shankar and Salman. If it's Rs. 54, I give Rs. 60/- and so on. Daily, for almost the last four months. There are three ways of doing a thing, the right way, the wrong way, and my way!

My way of meeting up, calling people is on a first-name basis, whether it's the waiter at the Dhaba or the boy at the Cafe or
my manager, or the person behind the counter at the restaurant. If I go to a place, more than once, I remember the first-names of people I meet and especially at places where they have their names as a badge. What is the point in calling someone as 'Excuse me' 'Two Frappes and a chocolate sundae', when you know his name is Rafeeq.

The sweetest thing for a person is his/her name and I've seen that this does help a lot, calling people by their first-names, especially in new places.

A nice quote here, There are no strange places, only new ones!
This is from 'The Alchemist' by Paulo Coelho.

This write-up came from last night's talk with Mama about Bangalore auto-wallas. My experience was that they're very polite and nice, while he had another opinion.

I have noted one more point, no offence meant (this is an opinion and I'm entitled to voice it on my blog), people from North India are prone to haggling, because being from that part of India, they have a mindset that people can't be good.
You have to fix up a rate before getting in an auto? Why so? Atleast in Pune, Bombay everyone follows the meter. You don't need to show your foolishness, by asking for the fares before-hand, except for railways stations, airports, where they charge
extra. Or else, what's a meter there for? At some places people do tamper with the meters. Atleast, it's not that way in Hyderabad, don't know about Bangalore, although, whatever experiences I've had in Bangalore were pleasant.

The best way is to call an Auto, sit quickly, flick the meter (I always do that) and tell the auto-wallah let's go!
The way is to make them feel that you know this place. Another way is to speak the regional langauge, works well in Pune.

Always go with an open mind. There's a beautiful Zen story for this. Post that later.

Life is not a 'To Do' list of things that you scratch off as you get older.
Age 28: Get married
Age 30: I've booked a 2 BHK flat
Age 35: I've settled my house loan
Age 38: I'm the Director of a big MNC and so on.

Life is an empty sheet of paper that you fill with a ball-point pen as you enjoy the ups and downs.
This is an original one.