26/11 prompted this auto driver to redesign his vehicle so that passengers are prepared for emergency and adversity

Ever travelled in a rickshaw hurtling down Mumbai’s streets with you still feeling quite at home? That’s what 30-year-old Deepak Shewale says he is trying to do, in a city where most rickshaw drivers are known for their brazenness.

Plying his autorickshaw in one of city’s busiest stretches, from Khar to Bandra, Shewale is a complete surprise package. Not only is his three-wheeler done up in psychedelic colours, it is dotted with messages, some to make you smile, others to make you think. “No Bhaigiri, Only Gandhigiri,” says one. “Give Respect, Get Respect,” and “Pay With A Smile” are others. The best one: “Don’t Put Your Beautiful Legs Up.”

The rickshaw offers a taste of some other amenities: A dinky television set in one corner, a newspaper box with an English, Hindi and Marathi newspaper as well as a couple of magazines, a first aid box, chocolates for children— all this at no extra cost. Interestingly, the idea of building such a rickshaw came to Shewale a few days after the 26/11 terror attacks. “I understood the true meaning of emergency after the terror attacks. Anything can happen to my clients while travelling, this is my small bit to minimise damages,” says Shewale. “Also the idea is to give passengers a feeling of being at home while travelling on the jam-packed roads of the city.”

But the most welcoming aspect is the man himself, who believes passengers are kings.

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