The Uber Podcast!

What do you do when you are in a cab and the ride is over an hour??

Listen to music? Watch Netflix on your smartphone??

Well, I either listen to a podcast or I have a live podcast ???

Okay, let me explain by sharing this story when I was in Mumbai recently.?

(I love Mumbai for its energy!)

I had to go to Dadar from Powai. ?

So, I booked an Uber, wait time?was 15mins, thanks to Mumbai traffic. ?

I didn’t have an option, so I waited patiently.?

Surendra Singh came to the pickup point, apologized for the delay and said traffic was crazy. I told him he couldn’t do much about it, so that was okay.?

As soon as I sat in, he asked me if the a/c was okay, and if I wanted to listen to music, I was impressed as not many drivers ask.?

I said 'Lets talk!'

I generally start a conversation to understand what drives people, what they are passionate about, what their story is. ?

Surendra is 55 years old, lived in Ghatkopar, had 14 rooms that he gave on rent (he gets 4000 per room per month, that’s 56K!), had two daughters, one working with a bank, the other one in Spain, and a son was also in Spain.?

I took a pause to digest that.?

My next question, why are you driving a cab??

‘Actually, I don’t have to, God has given me everything. My son forced me to sit at home and I had a minor paralytic attack. I survived that and I realized that I have to do something to keep my body active’ he said. And that’s why he was driving a cab.?

'People need to take a break from work at times, they are turning into machines. They don’t have time to talk to their families,’ he said raising concern about the health of the young working population.?

Sunday is a day off for him as he goes to the local Gurudwara to serve, he said some kind of spiritual focus is important to balance things. ?

‘Mumbai is a city where anyone can earn, only if they are hardworking and dedicated. There is a sea of opportunities for everyone to make money,’ he said. He came from Himachal years ago and built everything in Mumbai. ?

He owns the cab, had rooms given on rent, had his own home, got his two daughters married, invested for his son’s education so that he could move to Spain and earn well.?

Overall, he was satisfied with life, he said I don’t have any regrets. ?

I asked him what his dream was.?

‘I want to move back to Himachal, buy a piece of land, build a house and have a small farm where I can grow vegetables.’ he said with a sparkle in his eyes. He was planning to make a down payment for the land next year, I was happy for him.?

Now, I have heard this from so many friends,?leave the urban lifestyle and go to the countryside, have your own independent home and farm.

Simple living, healthy lifestyle. Me and my wife also dream of this ??

‘I lost both my parents in COVID, it was a tough time, I couldn’t even see them,’ he said with a heavy heart. During the pandemic, he got a call from the local authorities. Since he had a commercial license, they were looking for drivers who could drive ambulances. ?

At that time, we all knew how the situation was like. He said yes, knowing and understanding the risk. Not only did he drive an ambulance for six months, but he also convinced and got a few other drivers from his contacts to drive ambulances. ?

Such a noble cause! The authorities recognized his contributions and rewarded him. ?

I asked him what he felt about the evolving technology. To which he said that we all can learn anything from anyone, even a seven-year-old kid can teach us. We just need to keep our ego aside and be open to learn and adapt. ?

Such an insightful statement! ?

And we arrived at my destination. Neither of us realized how time flew!?

You can learn a lot from letting other people talk. I learnt quite a bit from this amazing story that Surendra had. ?

So, this was my Uber Podcast, hope you liked it ?? ?