The good vehicle
"2-Stroke gaadi raja gaadi houti hai" (2-Stroke vehicle is the King), the rickshaw-owner proclaimed as we snaked our way through the water puddles on the Hill Road. He was very interested in mocking at 4-Stroke auto-rickshaw owners, most of whom we saw fiddling with the rears of their vehicles, which broke-down in knee-deep water.
It was raining heavily, and I was in the company of Mr. Naushad (which I figured out from 'NASHUAD' sticker on the rear-view-mirror), for few minutes. He was more than happy with his vehicle, "4-Stroke gaadi ka engine ek baar khula, to paanch hazaar lagtey hain, par iss gaadi ka khula to..." (servicing cost for a 4-stroke vehicle is at least 5k, but for this one...) (a few seconds of silence followed, I don't know why he presumed that I'd be having a good knowledge about 2-stroke engines, more specifically the ones used in Bajaj auto-rickshaws) "...jyada se jyada pandrah sau"(...at the most 1500).
A few taunts later, the gratified rickshaw-owner dropped a value-added me at Bandra station. Downpours become more relishable with such encounters. :)