What all is involved in a taxi drivers life;
physical labour and not much exercise for the grey matter. One such driver was
Anwar. He got his driving license from the back door. He did not learn how to
drive a car, neither was he aware of the traffic rules and regulations. He was
however, a man with a generous heart, known for his hospitality.
Overheard conversation, as he sat with his mates at a tea stall. “Tea keeps me
on my feet”, have another, everything should be done in moderation”. “Tea is a
milder addiction”. The conversation drifted to the price of petrol and
passengers. “Things have become so expensive. I bought a kilo of meat for Rs.
150/-. It seems that if the price does not come down, it will be difficult for
us to make ends meet”.
One of the reasons why Anwar stood out amongst his mates was his wife. She never
harassed him for extra money. The hard work that he put in was evident from his
bronze rugged skin tone. Tanned from the hours, days, years that he had spent
driving his cab, exposed to the merciless sun. He was so vigilant that he
pierced the distance with the sight of an eagle soaring in the skies and
nose-diving to pick up the prey from ground. Proof of his vigilance, “stop the
thief, “ cried the lady, whose purse had been snatched. Nobody moved from
amongst the onlookers. Anwar from a distance approached the scene of the theft;
“move aside” he roared “corner the thief”. The thief was a smart cookie. Dodging
Anwar he entered the alley and hid behind a rubbish can. To the thief’s
misfortune a cat inside the can scared of the noise the thief made, leapt out of
it. Anwar pounced on the thief and recovered the money from him.
Like the lady above, his work led him to interact with persons from various
stratas of society. Sometimes there were persons from affluent families also.
One bright sunny day when fate was to take a turn for Anwar, Mr. and Mrs. Ahmed
sat in his cab. “We want to go to Nazimabad. Will you take us?” “Hope in.” said
Anwer. ”We are going to this place for the first time. I hope you will be able
to follow our instructions,” said Mr.Ahmed. After clearing a few traffic jams,
they finally arrived at the destination. They got off on the main road and said
they would manage on foot the rest of the way.
To his utter surprise Anwar found a parcel on the back seat of his cab. This was
when he stopped for a meal after dropping Mr and Mrs. Ahmed. The parcel had
jewellery inside. He was somewhat anxious regarding how to locate them so that
he could give them their parcel back. He searched for some form of
identification, but to no avail. His friends tried to persuade him to keep the
parcel. But he took pride in being honest and there was no way he would
compromise over it.
Little did he know that this parcel was to seal the fate of a couple about to be
married? The couple was Ammar and Shagufta. Ammar and Shagufta had been engaged
for a year. It was customary to give dowry to the daughter. Not to display
wealth, but to support her in her new home, till she was self-sufficient.
He reached home and asked his wife to keep the parcel in safe custody. Weeks
passed, and lo and behold, he spotted Mrs. Ahmed. She was shopping in a market
where he had just dropped a passenger. He hurriedly approached her and told her
that she had forgotten a parcel in his taxi. She told him, she had searched for
this parcel. She could not hold back her happiness and gratitude. “I was so
worried. The parcel had jewellery, which was my daughter’s dowry. I had fallen
sick due to the loss.”
This jewellery was an heirloom. It had been handed down from Shagufta’s
grandmother to Shagufta’s mother and then to her. The grandmother was married to
one of Ammar’s father’s uncles. Shagufta’s grandmother had grey eyes and brown
hair and so had Shagufta. These qualities endeared Shagufta to Ammar.
Anwar arranged for the jewels to be returned to Mrs. Ahmed. “We will expect you
and your family at the wedding”. Mrs. Ahmed’s happiness knew no bounds. The
return of the jewellery meant a big load off her delicate shoulders. Mrs. Ahmed
just could not stop praising Anwar. She told everyone she met, about how honest
he was and how difficult, it was to find people like him. She thanked God, five
times a day, when she prayed.
“Welcome Anwar”. Anwar was welcomed in a big way at the wedding. All the family
were eager to know him, although he was not a rich man and the other guests were
all, well, rich people. But who could deny, that Anwar was ‘rich at heart’. The
richest in the gathering at the wedding. He walked, in with his head held high.
He felt so good, after returning the jewels. Although he was in a gathering of
rich people, he did not feel lost as he was bestowed with ‘wealth’ of honesty.
And as Shagufta wore the wedding band, she looked at Anwar and smiled, a smile
of gratitude, before she was whisked off to her new home. Her wedding was
memorable right from the beginning to the end. A new life, lay ahead of her, and
as she entered the threshold of her new home and prepared to remove the heavy
necklace, she heaved a sigh of relief, recalling all that had happened.