Tags:
Journalism of Courage
Our auto-rickshaw is tuk-tuk for the British,but for the Italians,it is a scooter, says Samson. He should know; after all,it is not for nothing that he is the most sought-after autowallah among foreigners in Chennai,one whose service can be booked over the net,through a call or a simple SMS.
On the face of it,there is nothing special about Samson: a 38-year-old who failed in class V,dropped out after class VII,and ran away to work as a cleaning boy in hotels before returning home. Dabbled in a variety of vocations,including as a tailor and a leather jacket maker. What makes him stand out is a wacky idea to open a homepage,www.tuktastic.com,in 2006 that became Samsons USP ever since.
It all began in 1997,about five years after he became an auto driver,when a random passenger,an Englishman,prompted Samson to consider learning more about language and technology. Those days,he said,impossible was not in his vocabularytill he learnt English well.
I didnt understand a word he spoke to me. First he asked me to take him to Marina beach and back. When I dropped him back at his hotel,he asked me if it was possible for me to come back the next day morning. I didnt understand a word of English but for the word tomorrow. I said ok. He asked me to drop him off at an office and pick him in the evening. That became a routine.
When it was time for the Englishman to return home,he introduced Samson to the one who replaced him. The newcomer needed a guide and paid Samson good money in return. This rotation went on for three years during which he learnt to speak English.
Around the same time,he took a woman from Japan on a ride,who later became a regular customer. He was to take her to a nearby internet café almost twice a day. After a few days,I became curious about the Internet and e-mail and asked her more about it. Seeing my interest,she opened an e-mail address for me. I started requesting all my foreign passengers to send the pictures they take in Chennai to this id.
In 2006,a British pilot who has been a regular passenger on Samsons auto helped him open his website. He suggested many names from which I selected tuktastic,a combination of tuk-tuk and fantastic. It sounded quite nice. I printed a card with my e-mail ID and internet address to distribute to my foreign clients.
They now book him for full-day trips or longer. Next week,a 20-member group is coming from Denmark, Samson says.
After getting the hang of e-mail,Internet and its potential,Samson now hosts another website,www.netwayadvertise.com. For a small annual amount,he says,anyone can host an ad on the website.
