Journalism of Courage
Mahesh Khanekar has installed a laptop in his rickshaw for the convenience of his tech-savvy passengers
Till over two years ago,riding his auto rickshaw through Hinjewadi,Mahesh Khanekar would often be bothered by his passengers to go a little faster even when the streets were jammed with traffic. He tried his best to manoeuvre through the heavy traffic swiftly,but his passengers would not stop nagging. Once he reached home after a hard day’s labour,his wife then would complain about how their kids had to spend hours at a cyber cafe to work on their school projects.
However,the laptop was destined for other purposes as well. The next morning,Khanekar took his vehicle to the garage and asked for a portable table to be fixed at the back of the drivers seat and he placed the laptop on it. When passengers would take their seat,I would tell them about the laptop and ask them to use it if they wish to. I also made it clear that there would be no extra charge for the use of the device, says Khanekar,adding Now I don’t have to face the constant nagging of my passengers who don’t understand that there is only little I can do when the traffic is stagnant. The passengers often check their emails,work on files from their pen drives,watch videos and even video chat with colleagues if it is absolutely urgent,he says. His children,he says,use the laptop at night after he reaches home.
Khanekar started riding an auto in 1987 in the city. It was only when the IT parks in Hinjewadi came up that he shifted to that area. With his phone number written in his auto,he asks the passengers to call him if they require him to come and pick them up from any venue in the area. I have noticed how essential the laptop is for the present generation,they just can’t do without it even for a short time. Passengers were surprised to see a laptop installed at the back of my seat. One of the passengers told me that the portable table,which is just a flap,is like the tables they have in flights, says Khanekar.
He is working on the next popular demand of the passengers in the Hinjewadi area. As most companies require a receipt for the reimbursement of travel expenses,Khanekar is planning to install a billing machine in his vehicle. Some of my passengers make me sign on a piece of paper which mentions the pick and drop destination and the total fee. They tell me that they will use it as a bill and submit it in the company to get the amount reimbursed. But some companies do not accept such unauthenticated bills,hence the billing machine, says Khanekar.
