A cab driver makes a disgusting comment when she asks him not to spit

8 years ago

Image Courtesy: wsj

While women of India are becoming more independent and outgoing, there are a few who’s mindsets are primitive and quite frankly appalling. A Mumbai woman shares about a disturbing interaction she had with a cab driver.

In a Facebook post, the woman narrates the horrible behavior exhibited by a cab driver, when she asked him not to spit on the road.

She saw the driver chewing gutka, she knew he was going to spit on the road and so she asked him not to do that. He agreed, but also said “what’s a drop in the ocean”. Eventually, he did end up spitting on the road and when the woman pointed it out, he said ”Madam, main toh sirf road pe gandagi kar raha hoon. Aap toh samaaj mein gandagi karti hain. Aap ladko ke saath soti hai.” (I’m just dirtying the roads, you spread dirt in the society by sleeping with guys).

The woman said that the driver made the statement just about time the cab had reached the destination and she was getting down. This is why, she was unable to react or even take down the cab number.

In a Facebook post the woman wrote “I took a cab (kaali peeli) today morning from Prabhadevi to Lower Parel to get to work and started talking to the taxi driver about when he starts his day, where he lives and on how much rent. It was going well till I saw him eating gutka. I didn’t have a problem with him doing that at all, but I knew what was going to follow – he was going to spit on the road. I told him to avoid spitting on the road and he told me how he never does. In the next five minutes, he did spit and I stopped him from doing that again. My argument being that pedestrians have to walk in that muck and it spreads diseases. He came at me saying how it is completely okay to add a drop to the ocean that is already existing. I tried to tell him again how he wouldn’t want his kids to walk in other people’s filth. What he said next disgusted me to another level. He told me, “Madam, main toh sirf road pe gandagi kar raha hoon. Aap toh samaaj mein gandagi karti hain. Aap ladko ke saath soti hai.” (I’m just dirtying the roads, you spread dirt in the society by sleeping with guys)

He said this when I got out of the cab and before I could act upon what he said – I would’ve either slapped him or taken his vehicle number and reported him to the police – he sped away.

I am writing this post because I don’t know how else to vent my anger and frustration. I am confused as to why he dared to say something so sickening – either his male ego was hurt very badly that a young girl tried to stop him from spitting, or because he just assumed that single girls living in Mumbai generally sleep with guys. I hope when any of you reading this come across someone like this taxi driver, you be prepared with something as heinous. I’m prepared for the next time, just hoping that no one makes me feel as sick in my stomach again.”