Bangalore experienced some cool showers after quite a few months. It was the first day of last week when the skies decided to burst open resulting in heavy showers.

Like all other days, I decided to go home from work depending on an auto as the mode of conveyance. The roads looked unusually deserted and I should have known better that the absence of autos on the road was conspicuous enough to remember that the auto drivers had gone on a strike.

I wont tell you my dreadful story of how I got home on that rainy evening but it sure made me curious to know why exactly this very important set of people threw up a tantrum the way they did!

I wasn’t convinced by the story in the papers. The auto drivers demanded the registration number plates of their vehicles be written in Kannada and not in English. Now, that really beats all logic out of me!

Why would such a demand be met ever? In all probability, the reason for such a demand could be that these auto drivers could get away with day light robberies and other unprofessional activities without fear of being given to the cops.

I’m sure many Kannadigas in the city don’t know to read the numbers scripted in Kannada. How do the authorities expect the non-Kannadigas to interpret them?

Two days after the strike, I was returning home by auto when I got into a conversation with the auto driver. Though it isn’t the nicest thing for a lady to be getting engaged in conversations with auto drivers, I asked him about his opinion on the strike.

He went into a long monologue rather emphatically to the effect that most people from other states of India and countries from the world live here or visit this city. Having a limited understanding of the Hindi language, I thought he didn’t like the fact that Bangalore was flooded with ‘outsiders’. I was mistaken.

He opined that the vehicles should have the registration numbers in English as well as Kannada. Auto drivers will be more restrained in their dealings with commuters and generally be more careful in the business.

I got off the auto buying his story of the strike!

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