A Rickshaw Ride

Meet Hamesh, a rickshaw driver for 20 years, but also a storyteller, salesman/hustler, daredevil,  Bengaluru tour guide and father. 

 I had been told that taking a walk is  India would not be easy, and so venturing out after breakfast, I was only looking to walk around the block.  And that turned out to be shorter than I wanted as I weighed the difference between being cautious and carefree/ safe and lost. As I had left the hotel a rickshaw driver, Hamesh had asked if I wanted a ride and when I returned so quickly he repeated his offer, 50 rupees or about .77 cents to go to Lake Ulsoor and the commercial district. I said maybe later after I met with my cohort. Sure enough he was still there when we went later and he rounded up  two other Drivers for the six of us. 

In short order we were on are way in the midst of motorcycles, buses, cars, patrol fumes, and horns beeping. The rules of the road seemed to be casually acknowledged, as we traveled on both the right and left side of street and zigzagged  in all directions.  He coordinated the route with the other drivers through hand signals and in short order has at the Bangalore Palace, Vidhana Soudya or state parliamentary building and some stores that "sold things for a good price" and knew that Hamesh must make a small commission on our purchases. 

On the way I asked questions and learned about his city, " so much more traffic now than 20 years ago because of the IT businesses. His schooling which was shortened, and how he learned his English speaking there. He shared with us about how his three sons who are still in school.  We spent an hour or more and the fee was only 205 rupees or about $6. When I asked one of the members of the Teacher Foundation, she said that with such a large population there can be many laborers who work for minimum wage. 

How will global education and globalization effect Hamesh and his three sons? In my role as educator how can I change my practice to support all students potential?