While going from my home to Santa Cruz airport few weeks back I happen to board a cab where I got an opportunity to converse with the driver at length. The driver initiated the discussion by asking how much was my flight from Mumbai to Delhi costing me. He told me he was a frequent flyer (8-10 times a year) on Mumbai Lucknow route and wanted to check the direction in which the prices were moving.
I asked him why does he travel to his home town (Allahabad) so much? He informed me that last year he had his BA exams for which he needed to travel so frequently. Also he was happy to inform that he has cleared his exams successfully and thus is travelling lesser now a days. His brother is studying law in Lucknow. Further in course of discussion he told me he left home because he wanted to do something on his own. He got admission in UP police force but left it after training, borrowed money from his Dad and came to Mumbai to start taxi business. He owns 3 taxi out of which he self drives one. The remaining two runs 2 shifts a day and earns him good 18 k per month per cab. His own self driven taxi earns him higher and helps him to furnish installments for his 3 cabs plus he manages to fulfill his monthy expenditure through the earnings of his one cab only. He has recently bought a plot of land in Kalyan for Rs 4000 per sq feet and is sure it will appreciate in value and give him good returns. His main problem in Mumbai is his small house which too comes for a killing. This he compares to his big home in Allahabad. He saves decently and regularly sends money home and also invests in bank FDs and Saving accounts etc.
His aim is to make it big. It was not easy to leave home and come to Mumbai alone leaving behind everyone but the desire to be his own master was even stronger and it encouraged him to take more risks.
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