Thread by @phelubabuji

While in the taxi yesterday, I got talking to the driver. A young man in his early 30s and father of three. Conversation started with me asking if there will be cops on the way checking for masks. Her answered in the affirmative and told me he'll let me know when to put it on.

Annoyed with all this and keen on getting to know what's going on on the ground, I told him it was unfair that there were two different sets of rules: one for us and one for 'them' - the politicians, cops etc. I added "they do this to help big pharma selling wax through govt."

He agreed emphatically. My words had struck a chord. Perhaps, they pleasantly surprised him. He said, "yes these wax are no good anyway." Before he could continue, I let my bad habit of interrupting the speaker get the better of me: "Did you take it?" To my dismay, he nodded.

He added: "We thought they won't let us drive taxis so we took it. It was a foolish decision. In my village in Bihar, you simply need to pay 50 bucks to get a fake certi. Would have done this if I had know then. I didn't let my parents take it." I said: but what's wrong with it?

Almost agitated that I didn't know the 'obvious', he replied, "almost 95% of the old people in my village who took it have died AFTER taking the wax. He added, "My village is now almost entirely senior citizen free. Everyone who is alive is aged 60 or less". Is this exaggerated?

Almost anticipating that I would ask for more proof, he continued: "In Bihar, when someone died, we hold a two days long bhoj (communal meal). My family who lives there doesn't go to too many such events because there are only a couple of deaths a year. But things have changed!"

He said in the last eight months, his family has spent one quarter of all days eating in bhoj events. That's how many old people have died! I was absolutely shocked. He adds, " After the second serving of paneer tikka, people just fall ill and before you know it they're dead"

Optimistic about survival, he added, "We Biharis are resilient. We will not let this affect us. Some weeks back, a bureaucrat arrived in a village and tested an eight year old. The child immediately suffered a nose bleed. The villagers gathered and verbally abused the babu.

The arrogant babu threatened to jail them. Angered by such behaviour, a drunk man arrived with a desi katta and shot the bureacrat's hands and feet. Four holes in all. Told him "go, register a complaint now."

The taxi driver also said he'll take his kinds out of the govt. school in January to ensure they're not injected. He added "all these padhe-likhe educated people think they're being protected" Since it was a long journey, I was reading a book. Guilty by association, I smiled.

This wise anpadh certainly has much greater insight into the ongoings of the world than the vast majority of the educated lot. Having spoken to him, my faith in a positive outcome was somewhat restored.

What if his stats were accurate? The future looks gloomy yet there's hope.