‘He wanted to drive but since it’s illegal, I allowed him to sit in driver’s seat’: When Hungarian PM Viktor Orbán took autorickshaw ride around Fort Kochi
On January 4, the four autos dutifully lined up at Calvathy, along with other escort vehicles and ambulances. Viktor and his two daughters boarded Hussain’s auto, while his security team followed in the other three.
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The security protocols included a thorough check by a bomb squad, inspection of the vehicle’s documents and a thorough vetting of the drivers.
When Siddique Hussain, a 53-year-old auto driver in Kochi’s Calvathy got a call earlier this month from Kochi’s Fragrant Nature hotel for rickshaws, he thought nothing of it. It wasn’t unusual for him to get such calls for tourists who wanted cheaper modes of transport in and around Fort Kochi. But when he was asked to undergo security checks, he realised who his guest was: Viktor Orbán, the Hungarian prime minister, who’s on holiday in Kerala with his wife and two youngest daughters.
On January 4, Orbán and his two daughters went around Fort Kochi in Hussain’s auto.
“Two days before the trip, I got a call from a hotel at Fort Kochi. The hotel manager told me that the prime minister, his wife and two daughters, will be coming and they want three-wheelers for sightseeing. The hotel asked for four auto-rickshaws,” he said.
According to sources at the hotel, the European leader wanted a tuk-tuk, “because it is very good for sightseeing in Fort Kochi”.
“Several tourists go by auto rickshaw, but this is the first time such a VVIP had opted for the three-wheeler. We followed all protocol and security measures,” a source at the hotel said.
The security protocols included a thorough check by a bomb squad, inspection of the vehicle’s documents and a thorough vetting of the drivers.
On January 4, the four autos dutifully lined up at Calvathy, along with other escort vehicles and ambulances. Viktor and his two daughters boarded Hussain’s auto, while his security team followed in the other three.
“I told Viktor ‘Welcome to my Ferrari’,” Hussain said. “He wanted to drive the auto but since it’s illegal, I allowed him to merely sit in the driver’s seat. I took them to the Dutch Palace at Mattancherry, the Jews Street and the Santa Cruz Cathedral Basilica. Then, we had lunch at a restaurant. He invited us auto drivers for lunch too, and we sat near his table.”
For Hussain, who has been driving his auto for the last 28 years, this was his most memorable experience.
“We have been getting tourists regularly as travellers for the last nine years, but this is the first time we got a VVIP. This is unforgettable. He was very simple and friendly. After the journey, he said he was happy with the trip and thanked us. He also posed with us for photos,” he said.
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