When “elder brother” Singh, 50, is unwell, Jadhav, 45, makes sure to take him to their doctor promptly because, “if one of us is off the road even for a day, two homes are affected.”

Singh is from Uttar Pradesh while Jadhav is a Maharashtrian and the owner of the taxi which Singh drives in Mumbai.

And both of them, who have been in the financial capital for the last three decades, are clear that the communal divide that has been created is “mere politics” and the agenda does not help either Maharashtrians or North Indians.

The two are among thousands of such cross-cultural partnerships that keep the wheels of this megapolis with its 55,000 taxis moving, not just co-existing peacefully but also helping sustain each other’s livelihood.

In the last two weeks, after Raj Thackeray publicly condemned north Indians for having usurped opportunities belonging to “sons of the state”, it is Mumbai’s taxi which has been the soft target, with workers of his Maharashtra Navnirman Sena beating drivers and hurling stones on cabs.

On Wednesday, after news of Raj’s arrest spread, taxis across the city’s central belt refused to take passengers as they feared attacks by MNS workers.

Stones were hurled at parked taxis in Mahim, Khar, Vakola, Gokuldham and Chembur, Mumbai Taximen union leader A L Quadros said.

“When a mob attacks it does not look at what caste or state the driver is from,” he said. “They hit taxis irrespective. The divide is between politicians, for a taxi driver on the street, he is like the common man, he stands for the entire fraternity of drivers.”

“There is no disturbance among taxi drivers, but a general fear when such situations arise,” Quadros said. “In the pre-Independence era, taxis were driven by the Chilya community from Gujarat and Punjabis, before it started getting crowded with people from Uttar Pradesh.”

“Maharashtrians do not want jobs as taxi drivers as it is not seen to be secure and does not come with a “government job” tag — two attributes that a Maharashtrian always prefers,” said Mushtaq Qureshi, founder president of the city taxi union.

Jadhav, who owns three taxis, has employed Singh for one car while the rest are driven by him and his son-in-law.

After the Rs 250 that Singh takes home every night, the rest belongs to Jadhav, which has so far “supported his four sons, two daughters, wife and parents”.

“When we employ drivers we just look at their licence, age, driving experience and attitude. We never ask for his caste, community or his native,” Jadhav said.

“Over 60 per cent of the taxis today are owned by Maharashtrians and are driven by people from Uttar Pradesh as there is a sense of responsibility that they show towards the car and towards the job and they are willing to put in extra hours.”

Jadhav, who came to Mumbai in the 1970s like Singh, says “those days Maharashtrians went for textile mill jobs. It was lowly to be a taxi driver”.

Jadhav and Singh have both been caught in mobs during the 1992 Hindu-Muslim riots, the 1993 blasts and monsoon floods in 2005.

They have also shared “job hazards” like driving passengers to remote areas before being robbed by the passengers, besides having to keep traffic police constables “happy”.

“Jadhav has given me extra without my asking whenever I go to Uttar Pradesh as he knows that many of my family members would expect some cash from me,” Singh says.

The bond, Jadhav says, can be best understood when Singh shells out money when one of his taxi engines need repairs. “We only know each other as taxi drivers, and brothers and not as Marathi or bhaiyya,” he said.

Adds Singh: “When we hear of such situations we call each other and ensure that we both reach home. Raj Thackeray needs to know that in a fight between political parties, he is also creating a fight between brothers like us.”