Tuesday, November 13, 2012

The power of education.





The arrangement lasts less than half a day. ' The font ' is supposed to be driven around Delhi in a hotel car. Safe, clean, air conditioned . By lunchtime on the first day the hotel BMW has gone ; replaced by Mr.Singh and his battered Hyundai taxi. I'm told the hotel car is " a ridiculous expense ".

Mr Singh is forty five. He left school at thirteen. His wife at twelve. They have three children. A daughter aged nineteen, sons aged seventeen and thirteen. Mr. Singh works six days a week to pay for his familys education. He sees them once a week.  On Friday afternoon he finishes work and drives the four hours back home to his village. He's back at work on Saturday. Six nights a week he sleeps in his car. His daughter is in her second year at university. She's the first person in their family to be schooled beyond their early teens. Mr.Singh is very, very proud of her. Her photo is sellotaped onto the centre of the dashboard next to the garlanded plastic statue of the elephant god. Mr. Singh hopes his youngest son will be a doctor. The middle one loves motorbikes. He tells me proudly that his house has books.

Mr. Singhs taxi costs him $10 a day to run. This includes fuel ( and to Angus's surprise ) a budget for  maintenance and repairs. Somedays Mr.Singh makes twenty dollars, thirty if he has an aiport run, forty on a really good day. In the  long hot summer when there are no tourists he's lucky to break even. After the bank loan on the taxi his biggest outlay is for the childrens schooling. '' We are not educated people but our children will be " he says with a smile.

So it is that at eight every morning Mr.Singh and his battered  Hyundai arrive at the hotels front door. They wait there alongside the Rolls Royces and Mercedes. Every morning the General Manager ask Angus if ' the font ' wouldn't prefer to use a hotel car. Every morning ' the font ' replies that Mr.Singh's taxi will be just fine. Every morning the managers smile becomes just that little bit less sincere. Angus and the hotel BMW turn right to head off to talk to men in dark suits . Mr.Singh , ' the font ' and the venerable Hyundai turn left out of the gates towards the school for blind girls. Mr.Singh seems unfazed by the bizarre places he's asked to drive to. " Please don't worry sir. I've been driving for twenty three years and never been killed ".

The power of education. The drive for self improvement. America and Scotland were made by generations of people like Mr.Singh. Hard working, uncomplicated, honest, diligent. Fervent believers in education. Willing to work all the hours under the sun to pay for it.  By mid-century India is expected to have the biggest economy in the world. Looking at Mr.Singh Angus can understand why . As for Europe ?

18 comments:

  1. So pleased you gave Mr Singh your business.

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  2. Twas ever thus in India...There's so much embedded corruption that I'm sceptical that the potential will be realised in our lifetime.

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  3. There's no question, Mr. Singh certainly does have a lot to be proud of, himself included--I would have given him my business too.

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  4. Mr.Singh's pure heart is a joy to behold.

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  5. maybe you should be calling the "font" the "angel." she seems to be proving it more and more as time goes on.

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  6. So true! The generations who haven't had to work hard for what they have have forgotten what hard work is. I hope that Mr. Singh will be well taken care of by his children later in life for his sacrifice.

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  7. I would give Mr. Singh my business any day. Plus a rather large tip....

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  8. A most interesting post Angus. Thank you for introducing us to Mr. Singh, his trusty battered Hyundai and his dedication to his family and education. What a treasure. I imagine he was generously tipped too. Great pictures, loved the 2 ladies in the first one in their gorgeous robes with the flowers.

    On a side note, I cannot imagine Alaskan moose sitting calmly around people as those critters are shown in your post. The people would be running for their lives and the moose would have lots of victims for stomping.

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  9. She is a lady... just have to love you both. Take care and I always look forward reading your posts. Love from Southern Italy - going for a walk with little bit blinder 15year old patterdale and one year old Kiri - shall be fun with my boys... Susanne, Daisy, Foxiie and Kirigirigigi

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  10. Very much enjoying these travelogue posts Angus. And good on the 'Font' for putting money into the pocket that provides the best service and needs it the most. Well done and such an adventure too.

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  11. Very much enjoying these travelogue posts Angus. And good on the 'Font' for putting money into the pocket that provides the best service and needs it the most. Well done and such an adventure too.

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  12. The gallant hope of the human spirit.
    Ever inspiring.
    And I think the Font and I could have a perfectly delightful lunch together.
    My kind of girl.
    xo,
    p

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  13. Good on Mr Singh for his attitude, and also to "The Font" for choosing where her taxi fare was best spent.

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  14. Are you on The Amazing Race? :) (It's an American TV show!)

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  15. Through in Australia....no one seems to value education...except the migrants.

    XXXOOO Daisy, Bella & Roxy

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  16. I love The Font, she is a lady after my own heart.
    I would have been jumping into the battered Hyundai too.
    Mr. Singh I'm sure was happy to chauffeur her around safely. Working hard to ensure his kids are schooled better than he is...what an indomitable spirit

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  17. I was going to say that there are people who sacrifice and work very hard in Europe also . .but then I really thought about it. Sleeps in his car, drives four hours home once a week, makes $20 a day . . .nope, I don't think I have seen quite that level of sacrifice! So very glad the font chose him.

    I only "know" the font through the little snippets that you share on this blog, but I have said it before and I will say it again! I love the font!

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  18. There are still people like that in America, and surely in Scotland and other countries. Sadly, they don't control the money so they don't control the government and we are all the poorer for that. Perhaps it's time to revive the medieval custom of the fool being king for a day, and visa versa. Mr. Singh could probably do a lot of good on Wall Street in just one day. And it would be salubrious for Jamie Diamond's [or Mitt Romney's or Paul Ryan's] soul to live a week of Mr. Singh's life.

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