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This story is from April 8, 2007
New 'rickshaw tours'
Mohammed Malik, 45, is perhaps the only Amdavadi rickshawallah who knows how to correctly spell 'Le Corbusier'.
"I conduct four-hour tour packages around buildings designed by Le Corbusier, Louis Kahn and Charles Correa, even decades-old temples and mosques.
It is thanks to these English-speaking rickshaw drivers that the Ahmedabad Municipal Corporation is proposing the revival of a project that lay forgotten for seven years — 'Auto-Rickshaw Tour of Ahmedabad'.
"We realised that rickshaw drivers often misunderstand directions of English-speaking foreigners. Say, Calico Museum would be mistaken as Calico Dome. Tourists would end up paying more than expected, and hence go back feeling cheated," says AMC heritage cell in-charge, Debashish Nayak. In 1999, AMC had conducted an exam to select English-speaking rickshaw drivers for the proposed project.
While 28 were selected, the earthquake in 2001 and the riots in 2002 stalled the project. "We are reviving it now," Nayak adds. They have started tracking down the 28 selected earlier.
As of now, Malik and one other rickshaw driver 'Johnny' Sheikh are set to kickstart the tour soon. Initially, there will be 10 'heritage' autorickshaws designed by a city-based firm and funded by The State Bank of India, Ahmedabad. "We decided to fund it when our NRI clients showed enthusiasm about having heritage tours in the city," says Nagendra Bhatnagar, general manager, SBI. The fund of Rs 1 lakh will be used for designing 10 such rickshaws.
Rickshaw drivers like Sheikh learnt their English by hovering around hotels and regularly taking tourists on trips. Their English improved by conversing with the tourists. Malik even maintains a diary in which tourists enter their remarks about their trips.
Senior AMC officials confirmed the project will be launched shortly. Meanwhile, Malik awaits the redesign of his green CNG rickshaw. "We have been told that the rickshaws will be painted. Let's hope it happens soon."
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