‘Auto Day’ celebrates Shankar Nag and his longtime fans

The day celebrates the auto driver community and their role in urban transport and aims to bring dignity to the profession

Around 3,000 auto drivers from around the city came together to celebrate ‘Auto Rickshaw Day’ on November 17 at Shalini Ground, Jayanagar. Celebrated in commemoration of Kannada movie star Shankar Nag, a cult figure among Bengaluru’s auto drivers, it was conceptualised to recognise the importance of auto drivers  in society. 

November 9 marked the 65th birthday of Shankar Nag. This was the sixth edition of ‘Auto Rickshaw Day’. 

The event, organised by Three Wheels United in association with Peace Auto,  was inaugurated by Sowmya Reddy, MLA, Jayanagar Constituency, and also saw the participation of the families of the drivers, NGOs, resident welfare associations, students and other citizens. Along with performances by their children, the auto drivers shared their stories, their fascination with Shankar Nag and the challenges they face.  

Uday Kumar (51), a great fan of Shankar Nag, earlier worked as a medicine-delivery boy and even started his own hotel. He took to this profession after facing losses in his other ventures.

“At one point, I had nowhere to go and nothing to do. The movie ‘Auto Raja’ struck a chord with me. Shankar Nag brought dignity and respect to this profession. I have already served for 18 years as an auto driver and I’ll continue to do so.”

His wife, Lakshmi (42), is the director of the Auto Drivers’ Cooperative Society. She admits that it’s not easy to see her husband toil for 10 to 12 hours a day, but it is their only source of income. She also talks about how Uday can’t manage to make time for family and can’t afford to take a day off from work unless he is very sick.

She loves to drive the auto herself. “I am waiting for a green signal from my husband. If he agrees, I’ll also be driving an auto in another two years.”

Bakash (49) has seen business go down in the past five years, after the entry of aggregators like Ola and Uber and other players like Rapido and the Metro. While earlier he would earn around Rs 600 per day, today he barely manages to make Rs 250. He has three kids and his wife contributes to the family income by working as a housemaid.  

When asked why he never changed professions, he said, “I am not educated and do not possess any skill. Driving an auto is the only thing I know and that has been my livelihood for 25 years now.”

Mohammed Nawaz (36) has been driving autos for the past five years. “I work 12 hours a day but manage to earn only around Rs 450. Ola and Uber have severely damaged our business. It’s very disheartening to see people stand right beside our autos, take out their phone and book Ola cabs.”

Kishore Kumar, now 50, has 22 years of experience in the field. He took to driving autos when his earlier business venture went bust. He says that while he manages to make a decent living from this and support his family of seven, it is very difficult to save money for the future.

Understandably, he does not want his children to take after him. “I want them to be educated and get better jobs so they don’t suffer like me,” he says.

When asked if he likes Shankar Nag, Kishore laughs. “It’s a funny question to ask any auto driver; each and every one of us in Karnataka is by default a great devotee of him.”

Drivers honoured

Seven outstanding auto drivers were honoured with gold medals at the event.

One of them was Raja (47) who received the medal for being honest and responsible enough to inform passengers who left belongings in his auto, tracking them down and handing over their stuff. He has his auto attached to both Ola and Uber and is also a founding member of the Auto Drivers’ Cooperative Society.