Melvin Durai
Aman named Shivam Mishra recently booked a taxi to take him and his brother from Noida to Lucknow, a drive of more than six hours. Along the way, Mishra noticed that the cab driver looked exhausted and sleepy. He had apparently been driving since the previous day without getting much rest. So what did Mishra do? Did he yell at the driver to stay awake and keep driving? No, he took the wheel himself, allowing the cabbie to get some much-needed sleep in the backseat. Mishra recorded a video while driving and shared it on Instagram. The video does not show the cabbie’s face, just his prone body in the back. For at least a few hours, he was living a dream — fast asleep while continuing to earn money. “I mean, in a situation like this, there’s no point getting angry and saying, ‘I booked the cab, so you have to drive me all the way. Keep driving,’” Mishra says in the video. “Instead, I just decided to take it as an adventure and enjoy the journey.” Mishra titled his video “Be Kind to Everyone.” He indeed showed kindness to the cabbie. Not many people would do that. After all, the biggest benefit of paying someone to drive you is having the opportunity to doze off yourself. The cab driver, meanwhile, has started advertising a new service called UDIS (U drive, I sleep). He’ll give you a 20% discount if you let him sleep during a trip — and 25% if he happens to snore. All he asks is that you drive safely, use the horn as much as possible, and try to avoid shortcuts.
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Actually, I have no idea if the cabbie is tinkering with his services, but I’m sure he’s grateful that at least one customer showed a great deal of empathy. It’s easy, when you’re in a privileged position, to care only about your own needs, not the struggles of those serving you. So next time you take a taxi, don’t forget to ask the driver if he’d like to take a nap in the backseat. Of course, you’d only offer to do so if he looks like he’s going to fall asleep at the wheel. But kindness toward a driver isn’t just about making sure he’s well-rested. It’s also about making sure he’s had enough to eat and drink during a long trip, and has an opportunity to use a washroom. Mishra has set a good example, and I can’t help wondering how many other workers are singing his praises: Maid: “Shivam Sir is the best. The other day, I was very tired.
I had worked in three homes before I came to his flat. He saw me yawning when I entered the door, and he immediately said, ‘Please take rest on the sofa. Which channel you want to watch? I will do the cleaning today.’” Waiter: “I can’t tell you how much I appreciate Shivam Sir. He came to the restaurant where I work and noticed that I had too many orders to take. So without me even asking, he just walked around and asked people what they wanted to eat. And then he went to the kitchen and did some cooking. It was amazing.” Security guard: “Shivam Sir saved my job. I fell asleep one night while working, but thankfully Shivam Sir noticed. He didn’t wake me up, just brought me a pillow. Then he sat next to me and kept watch. It so happened that there was an attempted burglary that night. Shivam Sir called the police, but they were slow to arrive, so Shivam Sir apprehended the burglar himself. The burglar pleaded for forgiveness, and Shivam Sir, in all his kindness, let him go.”
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