"I didn't know English, so I showed him places with signs. I took him to a couple of shopping malls around the hotel area. He went inside each of them and came out with a lot of things. Even the mall staff were shocked to see him coming and going in an auto," Thakur, who hails from Uttar Pradesh, said.
Santosh Thakur, an autorickshaw driver, will not forget a passenger for the rest of his life.
During the 2011 World Cup, when the South Africans were here to play their match against India, fast bowler Morne Morkel wanted to take an auto ride around the city. Thakur was the driver stationed outside the team hotel, which is situated away from the city, and the hotel manager summoned him. What followed remains etched in Thakur's memory.
"I didn't know English, so I showed him places with signs. I took him to a couple of shopping malls around the hotel area. He went inside each of them and came out with a lot of things. Even the mall staff were shocked to see him coming and going in an auto," Thakur, who hails from Uttar Pradesh, said.
For a couple of hours, Morkel enjoyed his ride out. Trouble started when they entered the heart of the city.
"There was traffic inside the city, and a lot of people started recognizing him. He panicked a bit," the 33-year-old recalled. "He wanted to go back to the hotel, so he told me 'fast, fast'. I understood from his expressions and hand signal what he was trying to say, and took him back. After he got down, he told me 'thank you' and gave the thumbs up signal."
For a three-hour ride that should cost a maximum of Rs 1,000, Morkel paid him Rs 6,000. Thakur put it to good use. "I redecorated the interiors of my auto with that money, and put our photo that we had clicked on both sides of the seat," Thakur said pointing at the picture, which has lost its shine. "Naya karwana padega (Have to redo it)," he added.
The lanky pacer loved the experience so much that he asked for Thakur's auto again when the South Africans came here for a Test last December.
"They had a lot more security last year, but he wasn't bothered. This time, he gave me a South African jersey along with some money. My son loves it," Thakur said.
"Are they coming to Nagpur this time as well?" Thakur asked. South Africa play the West Indies here on March 25. Thakur better keep his auto ready.
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