This 74-yr-old Bengaluru auto driver used to be an English lecturer

Team Udayavani, Mar 30, 2022, 10:35 AM IST

Nikita Iyer, a Bengaluru-based professional, was taken aback at first when she heard her autorickshaw driver talk in perfect English. She inquired as to how he had gained proficiency in the language. The 74-year-old auto driver then spent “a very fascinating 45 minutes” talking about his former life as an English lecturer and other topics. Ms. Iyer described her incredible experience in a LinkedIn article that has since gone viral.

Nikita began by explaining how she met Pataabi Raman, who is 74 years old. She was trapped in the middle of the highway on her way to work, in fact. The old man came to a halt in front of her and asked her to board in perfect English. “Please come in, ma’am,” he added, adding, “you can pay whatever you like.” Nikita boarded the auto, pleased by his thoughtfulness, and began conversing with Pataabi to assuage her curiosity.

She informed the auto driver she needed to get to her office on the opposite side of town and was running late, despite her initial skepticism. To her surprise, the driver responded in English.

Pataabi said that he worked for 20 years as an English lecturer at a reputable institution in Mumbai’s Powai. He was not hired as a teacher in Karnataka since he was only asked about his caste. “The only question he was asked was, ‘What is your caste?’ and when he said his name was Mr. Pataabi Raman, they said, ‘We will let you know.'” Nikita wrote in her post.

He eventually relocated to Karnataka at the age of 60 and began working as an auto-driver because teachers there are underpaid. “Teachers do not get paid well. The maximum you can earn is Rs 10-15,000 and, since it was a private institution, I don’t have a pension. By driving a rickshaw I get at least Rs 700-1500 a day, which is enough for me and my girlfriend,” Pataabi said, laughing.

Pataabi also revealed why he laughed at the comment about the “girlfriend.” He referred to his wife as his girlfriend because he wanted to treat her equally.“She is my wife, but I call her my girlfriend because you must always treat them as equal. The minute you say wife, husbands think she’s a slave who must serve you, but she is in no way inferior to me. In fact, she is superior to me sometimes. She is 72 and takes care of the house while I work for 9-10 hours a day,” he added.

Pataabi also revealed to Nikita that he had a son who contributes to the couple’s rent. “We live in a 1 BHK in Kadugodi where my son helps pay the rent of Rs 12,000, but beyond that, we are not dependent on our children. They live their life and we live ours happily,”

“Not one complaint about life. Not one regret. So much to learn from these hidden heroes. My Thursday morning was made,” Nikita concluded.