An autorickshaw ride that still has its meter up in my mind

“Is it he an autowallah or an interior designer?” – First thought when I stepped into his autorickshaw.

Potted plants, robust green and cheerful with health, artful designs of flora and fauna and every inch squeaky clean, I had to openly compliment this superlative autorickshaw.

His response was “Thank you, Madam. My name is Hassu”; not “myself Hassu”. Perfect manners and impeccable English indicating he was most likely educated. For all you know, he would be earning more than my piddly fashion merchandising salary.

Hassu was in a good mood which made it easier to make conversations and ask about his mantra to take care of plants. “Why ask about my plants Madam, when one should be bothered about the plants of Mother Earth?”  His response was a question and spoken in clear English again. Although his answer was smart, he digressed from the topic.

I thought about my one and only plant — a droopy tulsi that never grew beyond one foot while admiring his mobile garden. “How on earth do you find the time to take care of them?” I enquired. “We have to find the time on Earth only Madam. There is no other planet like ours,” he laughed. So, he had a sense of humour, but why did he talk in a  roundabout manner. Was he being secretive?

(Earlier copy plant health. “Just like we need water and sunlight to be happy and healthy,, plants do too” – He seemed concerned. But, wait a minute, how does he know so much, and why does he keep suspiciously looking out of the auto.)

Suddenly, he looked at the rearview mirror and gave me a broad smile. What a strange man! “Madam, you probably like plants. So, do you keep a tab on the rampant deforestation?” – he shot me a question. Shocked that he used the word ‘deforestation’, I blurted out an incoherent reply. This triggered him to talk about the extent of forest cover and environmental damage caused by deforestation while citing facts and figures. He ended with, “Maybe we will live forever, or disappear, who knows Madam?”

That was it. There was definitely more to him. I toyed with the idea of extending that trip, but my exhaustion demanded more attention. That evening, when I sat sipping my tea in the company of a wiry tulsi, Hassu’s plants and his conversations were the only topics fresher than the chai.

Suddenly, I had a wild idea. He must be found again. But, what if he accused me of stalking. It did feel like someone was following him because he kept looking back and even popped his head out of his auto twice. He could have been a creep. But, he behaved more like an empathetic environmentalist.

Next evening, I went to the same autorickshaw stand hoping to find him. But even before I could call out ‘Hassu Bhaiyya’, he zipped past me with another passenger. Without missing a minute, I jumped into the next one and followed him. I questioned that autowallah about Hassu. He knew nothing and made a sly remark about whether I always talk to autowallahs. Not funny! I gave him a stern look and asked him to do as he was told.

I tried to take a picture of Hassu’s number plate, but the roads were bumpy. A short wait at a traffic signal would be an opportune moment. At the traffic signal, Hassu’s head emerged from his rickshaw to look behind. Then he fixed his eyes on a slim, modern and sparkling white chair placed on the sideway. I fished for the phone in my bag, just as I took it out, the chair disappeared and the signal turned green.

Who was following him, I mean, apart from me? Why was an autowallah so passionate about the environment? What can he tell me about it that I don’t already know? What is the mystery behind the disappearing chair? It seemed like I was treading into a new kind of unknown.

The unknown found structure and form in a brand new web-series by Sony Liv. It’s called Hawa Badle Hassu powered by GAIL. It is the kind of show that goes beyond the formula of good vs bad. It is a story with a message that is relevant at a time when plastic has entered our food chain and air pollution is choking India’s capital.

This is a partnered post.