The lived experiences of the gender gap and how it affects regular life for women can be
observed by taking a simple auto-ride in the capital city of the country, New Delhi. As a
woman who had to undertake daily 1.5 hour commuting sessions to college, I believed I was
a resident expert in the art of bargaining with auto-waalas. Every Delhi girl has learned the
art of negotiation and experienced rejection at the hands of several auto-waalas who often
overcharge and dismiss pricing metres.
My expertise was debunked when I went out once with my twin brother in Delhi. Due to him
being a hosteller outside of Delhi, I believed I would “educate” him on the pressure tactics I
regularly applied on auto-waalas. However, before I got the chance, my brother ran ahead of
me, charging towards the auto-waalas, and simply told them the address of our house, got
inside, and beckoned towards me. My jaw dropped. When we reached our location, the auto
waala quoted an exorbitant price which was stoically countered by my brother. The auto-
waala paused and then readily agreed. I couldn’t believe it. The sense of authority and ease
with which my brother instructed the driver was awe inspiring. As women, we are told to not
“provoke” men, especially those who are in charge of transporting you. One is supposed to
arrive at a fixed price before getting in, always keep the GPS maps open, and chart out exit
strategies in case the auto-waala seems to be veering off course. If we’re travelling late at
night, cab locations and “fake” phone calls often become the norm. Conversing and haggling
with auto-waalas while in transit is broached with the utmost caution so as to not convey the
“wrong message’. I realised that something as basic as an auto ride was a window into the
burden of ‘safety’ which in unfairly placed on women every day. The burden of always
calculating, appearing timid and being prepared for the worst case scenario was cancelled out
by my brother simply walking up and stepping inside the auto.
On another legendary day, the auto-waalas formed their infamous cartel outside the metro
station and unilaterally increased the base fair by Rs.5 which enraged everyone. I was sitting
inside the auto when the auto-waala came and explained the mark-up to me. I was about to
resign myself without protest when a fearless co passenger beside me started arguing
incessantly with the driver. She even involved a nearby traffic cop who signalled the auto-
waala to take us to our destination. As I sat in the auto, I was equal parts awestruck and equal
parts terrified. I congratulated my co passenger for being the hero that she was and for
fighting for our rights. I waited with bated breath, till we covered the short 1.5 km distance to
college. Only until we were inside the college gates, once again surrounded by the familiarity
and comfort of our all girls environment did I finally relax. I hurried onto class, sadly
thinking about how I could never imitate what my co passenger had done, and about how
women often end up paying the ‘safety tax’ which unfairly places a strain on our time,
mental and economic resources. And how commuting is often unpleasant because we have to
be alert and anxious all the time. How women often end up paying more because they’re
scared/hesitant of bargaining/taking joint shared cabs with strange passengers. How we
expend a considerable amount of our time in whetting various drivers instead of claiming our
rite of passage. So ladies, if you want to every demonstrate the power of male privilege to
someone who believes women HaVe ThE bAsIc EqUaLiTy, simply invite them over to an
auto ride with you.
- Abhinanda Dash
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