Chennai residents should prepare themselves for more of the three-wheeled contraptions with bus-yellow open sides and black tops. These are also known as
tuk-tuks or
autos for short. A 12-year old ban on registration of new auto rickshaws has just been lifted, as the government decided that the current number was low, particularly when compared to other Indian cities.
Currently there are 52,000 auto rickshaws in Chennai. Compare this to Hyderabad which has 64,000 and Bangalore at 78,000, even though the cities are smaller than Chennai. The article did mention though that the DMK (current Tamil Nadu party in power) government did issue permits for 10,000 auto rickshaws since assuming office, despite the ban. Bribes tend to work quite well here for getting your way....
The Minister of Transportation figured that an increased number of auto rickshaws would bring down the current fare. Yea, right.
He also expressed frustration that grants for fixing meters was not working, as auto drivers were "not ready" to use the meters. No surprise there. They can make so much more arbitrarily charging higher amounts to all, particularly non-Indians. In cities that use meters, prices are
significantly lower. Yes, I know, it's still a lot cheaper than taking a taxi, but you do have to deal with negatives such as coming to school with wild wind-swept hair, getting splashed on during the rainy season, inhaling the fumes, and simply being in a thin metal crazy swerving contraption with no doors and a squeaky rubber bulb for a horn.
In the photo: Auto rickshaw all decked out for Ayda Pooja festival, complete with banana stalks, pooja markings, and floral garland. Note the horn on the side.
A few streets away, plastics gave way to motors and machine parts. Nothing glamorous about these shops, but they must be doing well enough for so many to stay in business. In some places the drab motor stores gave way to bright red stores containing glittering gold jewelry, exaggerated by plenty of mirrors. Catering to another sense were the spice stores. Even before approaching one, you could already inhale the strong scents. In front of some stores one could see small, low displays of amulets. Potential buyers peered carefully through magnifying glasses to ascertain the quality and design of these miniature pieces. Also along the sidewalks or just outside openings of shops were women (and a few men) engaged in beauty treatments. Some had a white cream spread over their face – perhaps for skin whitening? Others were engaged in eyebrow plucking, achieved with string in the deft hands of the beautician.
Local markets provide an excellent opportunity to experience a bit of local culture. In Bangkok I visited the Pak Klong Talat market in the early morning, located near the Memorial Bridge pier. I avoided all traffic by taking the Skytrain system and then the local riverboat taxi. Once inside the market, I was immediately welcomed by the perfumed scent of jasmine. The white flowers, also a prominent feature in South India, were being weighed and placed into plastic bags. On other tables, impossibly large piles of orchids in purple, yellow, and orange glistened with drops of moisture. How much would those flowers sell for in the USA? In terms of bulk though, the marigolds took the prize. Vendors had to peek over the bags of prepackaged golden-yellow flowers that were being sold for around 35 baht (approximately $1) per bag. In other stalls one could see the marigolds strung into long garlands with a “tassle” created with white jasmine-like flowers or plastic, a purple ball-like flower, and gathered marigolds for the tassel. On other tables women were busy stringing hand-sized wreaths out of jasmine, roses, and marigolds. If you didn’t fancy buying real flowers for your temple offerings, you could buy plastic counterparts, available in a multitude of colors. The market also contained items such as produce, meat, and clothing, but I chose to move on towards the Grand Palace in order to avoid the major heat of the day.
