I don’t know if it’s a Kolkata thing in general or it’s just a Kolkata Taxi driver thing.
Almost every taxi driver when had a conversation with talks about Politics.
There are multiple ways in which they start the conversation and bring it to politics. Or I should say, wherever the conversation starts, it ends in politics only.
One guy says
Sir, see here, they are painting all the platform with a different colour. This is all done by BJP government.
And I am like, how to react. Is it a good thing? Bad thing? Is he pointing a prioritisation error? I don’t know. So I just say “hmm.” Why is it important to mention that it’s the BJP government doing it?
Later I got to understand that the platforms were painted in white and green (TMC colour) and the BJP government is changing it.
Another conversation goes like this
“Where are you from?”
“Bangalore”
I am expecting he will tell about Bangalore or his experience when he visited there or some relative of his who is there etc.
Instead he goes
Who is the Chief minister there? Which party?
I am like, wait a minute, even you want to talk about politics.? No small talk. Directly get to the point.
Another guy goes
“Didi used to live her for 15 years. Just 2 streets away.”
Curiously I ask, “now where does she live?”
“She lives here only. But she lost in this area”
So I understand that “living” and “living as chief minister” are two different things. Even if it’s the same house.
Another guy was just honking continuously. Even on an empty road, he was honking. I asked him; why are you honking so much.
His reply
“This city is gone to the dogs. Nobody follows any rules. If I don’t honk, someone might just come in the middle of the road. The previous government has ruined it completely”
Arre, we were talking about honking on an empty road and you connected it to the previous government and politics. How are these two connected?
So yeah, I think politics is a hot topic here. Atleast amongst taxi drivers.
