Many customers in the city have a common complaint – autorickshaw drivers don’t come to the location they want them to. But, why is that? In this episode of  Mathandrae Mathu Manadalada Mathu, Professor Sree Padha Hegde, a Yakshagana artist, speaks about the health troubles faced by auto drivers.

So, why won’t auto drivers come to the designated locations? Hegde categorised the reasons under different points – it can be a family problem; it is possible the driver is tired and irritated because of traffic jams and pollution; his health condition may not be up to the mark; the timings may be inconvenient. He also mentions that auto drivers get addicted to bad habits, most of them don’t eat on time, and they are often forced to ignore basic bodily functions because they are always on the move.

The eating habits of auto drivers change due to the stress of the job. They drink too much tea and coffee and eat on the road-side whenever they get any free time. Usually, most of them drink much less water than necessary so that they won’t need to use washrooms. Many of them also suffer from lack of sleep and have severe smoking habits which invite more diseases.

During their journeys, some auto drivers also report meeting women who offer sex in lieu of money. Hegde advises auto drivers against having extramarital affairs because that will lead to their families suffering immense emotional distress.

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Written by Ramya Gowda K.