Meet Mr Uday Jadav, who has started this amazing initiative and is setting an example for all of us.
“There are numbers of rickshaws roaming on the streets of our city but I wanted to come up with something new which would be creative and also could help our society. So I started this service of “Amdavad No Rikshawalo” on 21st October 2010, on the auspicious day of Dashera which marks the triumph of good over evil. I run rickshaw with the concept of gift economy in mind. The idea behind the gift economy is that someone before you has paid for your ride, now you have to pay it forward for the next passenger. Nobody is obliged to give any payment, but if they wish to pass on gift to the another passenger, they can pay any amount they desire. My meter always reads zero, I don’t take money on the basis of meter. I have more facilities then any cab can offer. Firstly I honor the customers with a smiley badge. I’ve a mini library which provides daily newspapers, books, booklets which shows about places to visit in the city, story books for kids. I have made a customized dustbin so customers can throw trash in it instead of littering it on roads. I have made two containers named “Love” and “Truth”. ‘Love’ container holds various home-made hygienic snacks for customers and ‘Truth’ container holds packed drinking water. I provide chocolates and toys to kids. I’ve attached a reading light so students at night can read in auto. I have a suggestion book, where every customer has to give feedback about their ride experience. I keep a bottle which is named “Akshay Patra” in which I daily donate 1 rupee and after every few months I spend that collected money after poor people. I give free rides to physically and mentally challenged people. I even give heritage tours to all the foreigners who visit our city. In fact half of my suggestion book is filled with foreigners sharing their amazing experiences. I also give voluntary services to many NGO’s of our city. I have given auto rides to celebrities like Gujarat Chief Minister Anandiben Patel, Morari Bapu, Amitabh Bachchan, Paresh Rawal, Chetan Bhagat and many others. There was this one time a man was waiting outside Sabarmati Railway Station, he was coming from Delhi and had lost his purse and so no auto was ready to give him a ride so I went to him asked about the problem and gave him a free ride, and dropped him at the desired destination. At the end of ride he was in tears and joined hands at me for helping him, but I say if one human will not help another human then who will?. There was this other time when two young girls sat in my auto, I dropped them off at a destination but soon I realized that they have forgot their cellphone and around 15000 to 20000 cash. Soon I went back to the destination but didn’t knew how to operate the cellphone, but luckily with a help of a person I could locate them and I returned their valuables. So they offered me some gift money but I declined. So incidents like these keeps my spirit alive to continue doing such a noble cause in spite of my unstable financial conditions. I have no complaints from life. My desires are limited. I wear a Khadi Kurta, and a Gandhi Topi and at the end of the day whatever I earn is contributed to household expenses. I will keep on treating my guest with respect and make them feel at home.
Any message to the society?
No one has ever been poor by giving love. Give this world the gifts of love and compassion. Do not concern yourself with how much you receive in return, just know in your heart that it will be returned.”
via- Humans Of Amdavad
