Slice of Life: ‘For me, customer is king’

I am part of the city’s ubiquitous brigade, commonly known as auto drivers. I am 53 and said to be ‘enterprising’ by customers. Whenever I drop a passenger at a corporate office, I think of my daughter, Devi who is similarly employed in Mahindra City, says Narayanan. 

My son Murugan too is an engineer and is employed in a private company. This is a dream come true for me. Despite my wife’s prolonged illness and a series of surgeries, as a result of her constant prayers for our well-being , we are all doing well. 

I did not know anything about the city till I married a Chennai girl. Holding her hands, I accompanied her to Chennai when she was about to deliver our first child, Devi. I belong to an agricultural family in Alathur village near Vandavasi. My family owned over 12 acres of land. We cultivated groundnut, paddy and chilli. We had a good source of income. After my marriage, I continued farming. But when I came to Chennai for the delivery of our first child, I stayed here for a few weeks. I was captivated by the city and I decided to make it my home.

Initially, I worked as a mason for a paltry sum of Rs. 140 a week. “If you want to earn more, learn to drive an auto like me,” suggested my father-in-law. I was trained by him to drive an auto and I obtained a licence in 1990. I rented a vehicle for just 11 months. My owner encouraged me to buy one for myself and he helped me to obtain a loan too. Those days it was just Rs. 58, 000. I attribute my success to my warm and loving wife and affectionate children. My daughter Devi, was academically very good. She stood first in Boston MHSS at Nandanam, with a score of 1061. My greatest moment in life was the day when Devi was made school pupil leader! With tears streaming down my eyes I saw her taking the oath. 

The unforgettable moment in my life was when I rushed to help a fruit vendor to take his daughter for delivery. I was woken up in the middle of the night to drive the auto to Gosha Hospital, Triplicane. It was raining heavily, by the time my auto reached Light House, from Greenways Road, the girl delivered a baby boy in the vehicle. I heard the cries of the baby and the mother but was too scared to look behind. I just drove the auto right up to the porch of the hospital.

My motto is ‘customer is king’. What I am today is because of my customers. They were always there when I needed help. Above all, I thank the almighty for giving me the best of everything.