Do you talk to taxi drivers?

[SachDan]

Paki cabbies thinks they are very jovial and starts shtyeing.. There's also some kind of paan they uses,its smell always creates a vomitting sensation and to top it all there's that foul smell from their dress...mainly with Pattanis.

[Brainfade]

I hardly travel in taxis, but in general, I have lost the interest and ability to make small talk. Be it at work or in social settings. For example, at a desi party, I will not go up to an unknown person and ask where in India he/she is from (which is the most common ice-breaker, it seems). It just doesn't matter to me, and I have stopped pretending that it does. I even make a special effort to go to this lady barber who hardly talks. She looks at the computer, knows what I need, I sit, she cuts, I say "Thanks," tip her and am gone. And all the while the others are yakking about everything from the weather to filmy gossip.

[flamy]

Haha, lol I always love talking to auto-drivers, sales gals, and if anyone asks me for directions I make sure to make a lot of small talk. Just love meeting new people. :dontknow: Also, once in Westside (blore), there was this American couple.... "Excuse me, are you guys foreigners?" The woman cracks up and says, "Ye think?" "Just a wild guess. I've been going to these mind-reading classes. Hey, they seem to be working!" Laughter. I take the guy's hand. "Let me show you how to shake hands Desi style!" The woman says, "Uh oh, what's happening here..." I say, "That's right, I'm a swindler. Watch out!" I finish my impromptu handshake with a high five. "And now...I hug your lady." I hug and she gasps. Good awesome fun. :D

[Brainfade]

Haha, lol I always love talking to auto-drivers, sales gals, and if anyone asks me for directions I make sure to make a lot of small talk. Just love meeting new people. :dontknow: Also, once in Westside (blore), there was this American couple.... "Excuse me, are you guys foreigners?" The woman cracks up and says, "Ye think?" "Just a wild guess. I've been going to these mind-reading classes. Hey, they seem to be working!" Laughter. I take the guy's hand. "Let me show you how to shake hands Desi style!" The woman says, "Uh oh, what's happening here..." I say, "That's right, I'm a swindler. Watch out!" I finish my impromptu handshake with a high five. "And now...I hug your lady." I hug and she gasps. Good awesome fun. :D

If I were in their place, I would have screamed in horror. I hate being touched by strangers. Unless, of course, she happens to be really pretty. :D

[kumble_rocks]

This thread reminds me of Seinfeld episode wherein Elaine pretends to be deaf simply to avoid continuing the conversation with her garrulous cab driver... But personally speaking , I have long chats with my cab driver who happens to be Iranian.Helps me understand the other side . Heck , we even have beers together occasionally!

[flamy]

If I were in their place' date=' I would have screamed in horror. I hate being touched by strangers. Unless, of course, she happens to be really pretty. :D[/quote'] Lol, the gasp was more of a cute yelp actually. Actually that whole day, I was talking to random strangers. Some cute aunty had Murphy's Law in her hand. I go: "Hey, you are a fan of Murphy's too? I know. I dont wash my car for a week and when I do, it rains. In the middle of summer!" :-D:-D

[fineleg]

Folks sud beware of flamy :D -------- Kumle_Rocks, Seinfeld rocks! :thumbs_up:

[SachDan]

Folks sud beware of flamy :D -------- Kumle_Rocks, Seinfeld rocks! :thumbs_up:

especially u gals!

[coffee_rules]

One cabbie advised me to respect my mother all the time and wives be damned. He listens to his mom and "orders" his wife to do so too. Very interesting char. Love talking to them. I hate to respond to "Hey, How are you doing" type small talk at work. You are walking, just say hi and walk. Instead we have to stop and do some unnecessary talk for a min or so. I don;t have any meaningful relationship with that person, but would still have to say hi, not to seem like a psycho otherwise. The conversation goes like "Hey. How are you?" "Fine, how about you?" "Fine, bye" "Bye" Stupid people.

[Desi Cartman]

in Aus most of the desi taxi drivers will ask below questions * From India ? * Which City ? * Do you have PR (residency) in Aus * Where do u work * Do u work in helpdesk or Support or do u have a real IT job I dont mind having a chat but I always wonder why is that all Indians ask these questions ... some would even ask "do u own a house ?" They try to figure out how rich/poor , successful you are ...

[coffee_rules]

in Aus most of the desi taxi drivers will ask below questions * From India ? * Which City ? * Do you have PR (residency) in Aus * Where do u work * Do u work in helpdesk or Support or do u have a real IT job I dont mind having a chat but I always wonder why is that all Indians ask these questions ... some would even ask "do u own a house ?" They try to figure out how rich/poor , successful you are ...

How long have you been here? (1/2 years, he will feel elated as you are a FOB in his eyes!) Do you have family back home? One Pakistani Cabbie in London had some insight on Bollywood celebrities. He was a big Salman Khan fan and he claimed that all stars smuggle a lot of goods, etc. They go unnoticed as in India they are virtually gods. The first thing he asked was If I knew any film stars personally!

[flamy]

haha, man I gotta get into some taxis in New York. But, I have to get there first :D

[DomainK]

My experience with Mumbai cabbies are quite different. I am not supporting Raj Thakrey's campaign here, but just stating what I have observed ( I am myself a non-maharashtrian living in Mumbai). The only people that stare at women on Bombay roads are cabbies that have migrated from UP or Bihar. And they do it in a way that you would be tempted to slap them on the face. On signals they would stick their heads out and shamelessly stare at whatever female skin is visible. Some even love to rub their privates while doing so. And some of them cross the limit and pass a remark feeling sure that their passenger shares their feelings. "sabhyata to raha hi nahi is desh mein. Ka haal bana diye desh ka. Kaise kaise kapde pehnte hein." One cabbie one day pointed out a guy in the back seat of a car sitting close to a woman sharing a romantic moment. They were not doing anything untoward. "dekho dekho, aaj kal yelog raste pe dhada karna shuru kar diye." The grin, the rubbing of the private parts and the expressions on their faces make me sick. Not all of them are like that, but I encounter one such cabbie once in every two days. Wherever they try to strike a conversation, I bluntly tell them to shut up and drive. Some of them do start some meaningful conversations though. A cabbie one day eagerly showed me a route that was longer but quicker. Another cabbie told me a very interesting story of an accident he had met on a highway. Another cabbie gave me very interesting insight on how to deal with BEST buses. But most others usually start meaningless conversations. A cabbie one day spat out of his window straight on an Accord. The owner was furious. The cabbie immediately drove away telling me how it should be their right to chew tobacco and spit since they have to drive for long hours. I asked him to shut up and drive. I got off soon and the Accord caught up with him. They were fighting when I got into my clients office.

[Gambit]

^^ Interesting. The last time I was in Mumbai, I had two interesting experiences. The first cab driver I encountered wasn't talkative but I could detect a strong Bihari accent. I don't normally initiate conversations with cabbies but on this occasion I did. When I told him I was from Bihar and I thought he was too, he said he was thrilled to meet someone from his 'gaon' and told me that he hated Mumbai but had to stay here to make a living. Given a choice, he would go back in a heartbeat. After his taxi broke down, he waited until I got another cab and even offered to charged me less but I gave more. The second cabbie, whose taxi I hailed, was pakka Maharashtrian. He asked me where I was from and when I said 'Delhi' he said - 'Arre saab. Aap bahut bhole hain. Mumbai main kisi taxi waale to mat bolna ki aap bahar se aaye hain nahin to aapko ghooma ghooma ke loot lega.' I rewarded his word of caution not with a tip but with a compliment saying all the cabbies I had encountered were honest and wonderful and quite unlike the rascal autowalas in Delhi. :D

[DomainK]

You are very correct Gambit. Mumbai cabbies, autowalas are much more honest than Delhi or Bangalore. I have felt being overcharged a couple of times, but not by much. But in Delhi they just loot you. Everytime I went to Delhi, an autowala asked me 400 bucks from Mayur Vihar to CP. Clearly because I was carrying a big bag with me showing that I am from outside. All other autowalas standing there asked for the same amount. The I stopped a couple of running autos and one of them agrees for 150.

[King]

I in fact like talking to the taxi drivers. They see the world from different quarters unlike us blue collared employees. They will have tonnes of stories to share and they can enlighten you with what's been going on in the city. I don't mind striking a conversation with ones that have smile on their face. I just can't the ones that seems to reckon they are going to die the minute they smile.

[Guest dada_rocks]

So can we safely say Gambo Shwetabh and DD are sociopaths as diagnosed by Dhondy.:--D

[The Outsider]

^ I don't have any problems being branded as one - not a big fan of needless chit chat with random people, but one of the few places where I enjoy it and look forward to it is Indian Railways. Those journeys are nothing without MC.:D

[Ram]

I fear my social skills are going downhill drastically. :(( Not that I cant speak, but I prefer to stay silent and observe what others are saying. And most of the time, its just utter nonsense. If you are to take part in a booze meeting of say mid-20 year old Indian guys, you will find that either, -- They constantly back-***** about someone -- The single out one guy in the group and mock him relentlessly -- They indulge in needless gossip. -- Or they endlessly boast about themsleves or the new car they bought, or the new plasma TV they're planning to buy. Unfortunately, I cant do any of that. On the flip-side, I find it really easy to have casual chats with Americans or go out have a fun lunch with them. What is that supposed to mean? With Indians, I feel that they're generally immersed in superstitiouns, misconceptions and fixed mindsets. Recently, I spent an evening with a friend of mine and we were discussing the usual routine stuff and of course, it included how the NRIs behave etc.. He almost spent an hour trying to convince me why Gujratis are the most cunning people in the world and told me I should do all I can to stay away from Gujrati. Some of the things he told me bordered on the absolute ridiculous, but I patiently listened to him nonetheless. I figured out that with people like those, its absolutely no use even trying to convince them otherwise.

[Guest dada_rocks]

I fear my social skills are going downhill drastically. :(( Not that I cant speak, but I prefer to stay silent and observe what others are saying. And most of the time, its just utter nonsense. If you are to take part in a booze meeting of say mid-20 year old Indian guys, you will find that either, -- They constantly back-***** about someone -- The single out one guy in the group and mock him relentlessly -- They indulge in needless gossip. -- Or they endlessly boast about themsleves or the new car they bought, or the new plasma TV they're planning to buy. Unfortunately, I cant do any of that. On the flip-side, I find it really easy to have casual chats with Americans or go out have a fun lunch with them. What is that supposed to mean? With Indians, I feel that they're generally immersed in superstitiouns, misconceptions and fixed mindsets. Recently, I spent an evening with a friend of mine and we were discussing the usual routine stuff and of course, it included how the NRIs behave etc.. He almost spent an hour trying to convince me why Gujratis are the most cunning people in the world and told me I should do all I can to stay away from Gujrati. Some of the things he told me bordered on the absolute ridiculous, but I patiently listened to him nonetheless. I figured out that with people like those, its absolutely no use even trying to convince them otherwise.

That's why u don't talk and enter into some conversation with this or that indian group. It's about random guy on the street I am sure they don't resort to all that you have mentioned.. My wife is big sociopath when it comes to any kind of indian community get together.. I am not fan of those either.. Gujju's u know I respet the state in general but this beef I have with you guys you start judging people based on their apparent financial worth invariably always.. First question these samples would ask is.. so do u live in indepedent home or apartment..:--D My wife wud retort with cold face are u real estate agent:hysterical: Whoever says Gujaratis are cunning doesn;t have his/her mind in right place.. They will never cheat you of even a penny yes hard-working individuals take money matters little too seriously and expect others to do the same, but cunning no freaking way..