Finding Gratitude Amongst the Tuk Tuks of India
During my travels in India, I have met many locals. One who has made quite an impression on me is a rickshaw driver named Tiger. As I have gotten to know him, I have begun to question my own life. What would it be like had I been born under different circumstances? Tiger and I were born on the same day, November 19th. His personality is very much like my own – he is extremely extroverted, generous, and kind. As we ventured around town, it became clear that he is like the mayor – everyone knows and loves him. He is hard-working and intelligent. Yet, by his own admission, he and his family are very poor.
Tiger went to college to study mechanical engineering. When his college of choice became too expensive, he switched to a government school. However that did not alleviate the situation and when his parents encountered other problems, he dropped out. As the only male child, he was expected to care for his parents but knowing Tiger, I’m sure he would have done so either way. Returning to Hampi, he found work as a rickshaw driver. It is a job he enjoys despite its challenges. Tiger does not own his rickshaw. To meet his daily expenses, he must earn 600 rupees (about $10.00). 400 of that goes to the man he leases the rickshaw from and 200 goes towards fuel.
The average trip earns him 75-100 rupees. Tiger begins his day at 4am and rarely comes home before 10pm. There is no such thing as a day off. His very existence (and that of his parents) comes down to how well he can hustle. His dad works in agriculture but is lucky to bring home 300 rupees a day. His mom is a housewife. Together they all live in a one-room hut with a cooking area outside. Bathing is done in a nearby river. Their hut is owned by an aunt who is allowing them to stay there for free. They must pay for utilities. Almost everything they own has been given to them including their clothes. Despite having very little, Tiger saves whatever money he can in hopes of affording his own rickshaw one day. It would change his life and that of his parents. (It is expensive yet by American standards, $3000 is very little.) Tiger has the personality, the talent, and the potential to do great things. However, how do you develop that when you are the poorest of the poor living in India? Had Tiger been raised in another country such as the United States, or under different circumstances, where would he be now? For Tiger, it would be easy to give up. As he sees it, there is no way to improve his lot in life. Yet he is not hopeless. He is one of the happiest people I have ever met.
He has found work that he enjoys, he loves his family, and he has a wide circle of friends. To him, that is all that matters. He is blessed as am I. I am happy and I am grateful for all that I am learning especially about what matters most in life. Quitting my job to travel and experience the world first-hand is the best decision I could have made for myself. Tiger has shown me that I need very little in this world to be happy. I no longer worry about not having a job or how I will afford my year of travel. Things will always work themselves out. Life is what matters and I am living it!
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