I was stuck in evening traffic on my way to KFC, Bandra in a cab when the cabbie started a conversation with an interesting and amusing thought.

Cabbie: Goverment ko family planning chod kar ab car planning shuru kar dena chahiye. Kitne car hain road par.

Me: (smiling) Hmmm.

Cabbie: Aapko yehi utarna hain ki aur aagey jaana hain?

Me: Aur aagey. McDonalds pata hain aapko? KFC ki yaahan.

Cabbie: Yeh KFC ka full form kya hain?

Me: Kentucky Fried Chicken. Kentucky America mein hain. Ek aadmi ne fried chicken banaya aur woh famous ho gaya. To usne yeh shuru kar diya. Kyunki Kentucky Fried Chicken itna lamba naam hain, to usne…

Cabbie: Use KFC kar diya (laughs).

Me: Haan. Wahan ka Vada Pav hain samjh lo.

Cabbie: Mujhe goverment ne Special Magistrate ka post diya hain. Pata hain aapko. Woh True Copy karke sign aur stamp karte hain na, woh. Doctors, lawyers ko banate hain…Gazetted Officer. Government ne mujhe bhi banaya hain.

Me: Attestation ke liye…hmmm. To aap taxi kyun chalate hain?

Cabbie: Yeh to hamara purana kaam hain. Ise kaise chod sakte hain. Maine ek card bhi banaya tha. Mere naam ke baad maine likh diya ‘Taxi Driver’. Mere dost ne kahan ki Taxi Driver kyun chapva diya. Maine kahan ki to us mein kya hain. Baad mein maine use short karke TD kar diya.

Me: (laughing) Yeh accha kiya. Log poochenge ki TD kya hain.

Cabbie: (smiling) Haan. Jaise Bcom, BA hota hain waise TD. Woh aa gaya KFC.

Me: Wohi left mein ruka dijiye. Kitna hua? (giving money) Apke paas aapka card hoga ab?

Cabbie: (taking the money) Nahi. Aap number le lo.

Me: Aap ka naam kya hain?

Cabbie: Gyan Singh. Number hain 99XXX XXXXX

Me: Attestation kahan se karte ho? Rehte kahan ho?

Cabbie: Malad.

Me: Aap pure din taxi chalate ho to attestation kaise aur kab karte ho?

Cabbie: Ab thodi der mein ghar jaakar shuru karunga. Line lag jaati hain raat ko. Nahi to logon ko keh deta hoon ki ghar ka pata de do, subeh subeh mein hi aa jaunga. Area ki ladke kehte hain ki aap bhi. (smiles)

Me: Accha hain. Chaliye. Khyal rakhiyega aap ka.

Cabbie: Thank you. Aapka shubh naam kya hain?

Me: Karthik.

Cabbie: Woh Ganesh ke bete hain na.

Me: Nahi. Bhai hain.

Cabbie: Accha, accha. Chaliye.

I walked away smiling towards my destination. I particularly loved our farewell where he wrongly assumed Lord Karthik to be Ganesh’s son. Thank you, Mr. Gyan Singh, for the useful gyan. 🙂