Dear Annas and Akkas of Mangoville,
Someone is trying to spread false impression that Rickshaw Rowdy is illiterate buffoon. Sir, tell me something. Is anyone in today’s world illiterate? When I was 4 years old, my mother was daily dragging me to municipality school against my wishes. I am going on telling her that I am liking gilli-danda and I can become Olympic champion on my 9th birthday. She is telling me…
No no Rowdy, there is no gilly-danda in National Games even, how you will play in Olympics. Such a buffoon you are. Eat your chow chow bath and go to school. On the way back get some cow dung cakes from Gowri akka, otherwise you will not get dinner.
– Amma Rowdy
Imagine, me innocent and cute Rowdy, instead of becoming gilli-danda champion, I am forced to do labour at the tender age of 4, meanwhile all rich kids are playing basket ball and making us Olympic champion after beating Americans. No wonder we are so poor in sports. All poor kids are fetching cow dung cakes from some akka in corner shop, and rich kids who are getting to play everything are becoming engineers.
What I am trying to say is that Rowdy is not illiterate buffoon. Rowdy studying till class 10 and then deciding that studying no good. Because there is no end to studying. My friend Rangaswamy did post graduate and now driving taxi. He is getting booking, he has to accept. Whether he likes or not. Rowdy under no pressure. I take booking when I want. And I am only 10th class fail. Mishra ji is telling me my return on investment is better. I like Mishra ji, he is always supporting me. Last week he is saving me from clutches of Superpower Swamy, and now he is believing that Rowdy is smarter than Rangaswamy. Studying too much no good sir.
Look at all rich people sir – civil engineer becoming software engineer, mechanical engineer becoming software engineer, chemical engineer becoming software engineer and software engineer becoming MBA. All confused people and simply wasting time. For 4 years they are studying all complicated things, but in the end everyone is making some app only. Fruity Farookh’s 12th fail brother also made an app. Then what is the use studying all complicated things for 4 years. Here Rowdy is failing in 8th class once and whole village is behaving as if there is food shortage for Bakasura and he is going to come and eat up everyone. In the one year that I fail, I learn many things sir:
Tell me sir, what is better – wasting one year by failing and learning so many things or wasting 4 years in studying things you are not going to use? Our education system needs to change akka. Too much studying studying. Too little application. Then suddenly one day only work work work. One day in my rickshaw one software engineer is sleeping. She is too tired after work. When her home is coming, still she is sleeping only. I am thinking that madam is not well so I pour water on her. She is yelling and waking up and shouting at me. Afterward she is realising her mistake and saying sorry. She was telling me that she wants early retirement that is why she is working so hard. I am totally confused. Fruity Farookh’s father is 72 years old and running toddy shop in Champakulam village in Alleppey district. He is saying he cannot sit at home even for one day. And madam is wanting early retirement. I don’t understand people these days akka. Maybe Rowdy is too left behind.
I think now I know why people are calling me illiterate and buffoon. Because I am not talking of early retirement. I am thinking that all my life I can loaf around at rickshaw stand and haggle with customers. But trust me anna, I am not haggling. I am only asking for fair price. People are earning so much money sir. Every corner there is some fancy house being constructed. Everyone is driving fancy car. They are saying their salary is becoming double every 5 years. But we poor people are not able to beat inflation also. Early morning some engineer is coming and haggling over 10 Rupees. Same engineer is making lakhs of Rupees every month but will not give 10 Rupees extra to Rowdy. They are happily paying 300 Rupees for popcorn in multiplex but will not pay 5 rupees extra to Fruity for pumpkin. Suddenly they are becoming very conscious of their rights. Mishra ji is telling me that their company’s lawyer is charging them 10,000 Rupees every hour and still asking for more! Swamy! But I am sure he is not even giving 500 Rupees salary increment to his driver. Aunty Opinion was telling me that in her building they have made Whatsapp group for fixing salaries of maids and car cleaners after one maid asked for 300 Rupees extra. So much time these people have. And they call Rowdy illiterate buffoon. They are right.