Ode to an Auto driver

Among all the articles about impolite auto drivers, and all the road rage they usually seem to set off, it was a refreshing change to come across a really nice one. I was coming out of Woodlands Hotel, and was having visions of needing to ask atleast 4 autos before one accepted coming to my area (which is the usual way of things!).

But this elderly person came up and asked me so politely "Yelli hogbekkamma?"(Where do you need to go, ma?) that I actually looked at him a bit suspiciously - Not being used to so much politeness you see :). I looked around to see if he actually had an auto parked there before answering "BTM Layout" sure that he would say no, but he immediately accepted and waited for me to get in.

His licence mentioned his name as Narayanappa. Not that he was talkative, but the little he spoke he seemed to say so gently and politely that I had to discount the slightly large sum of money that he asked for ;). I missed a turn while directing him, and he actually offered to turn back and get me to my destination rather than letting me get down and walk! And when I mentioned to him while getting down about how politely he spoke, he was so humble about it saying " At my age, don't I have to speak like that?" :)