Interviewer :Murali P.

Pathak Interviewee : Aditya Banerjee Occupation : Auto Driver

Aditya is an Auto Driver in Jamshedpur. For him, ethics is about making sure that you earn in a fair and scrupulous way. He talks about how some Auto drivers would hoodwink people or try to cheat visitors to Jamshedpur by quoting exorbitant fares. On further pr obing, he said that his father had considered corruption and unscrupulous activities as akin to thievery, and he told me an instance of how his father had beaten him when he had stolen money. This event had a huge impact on him, and he says he tries not to do anything wrong. Now that he has kids, he believes he must be a role -model for them. Also, he is God fearing, and says that those who cheat others now will have to answer to God when they die. He thinks that it is OK if you earn Rs 10 less, but it is w rong to earn more just by cheating someone. To him, ethics is mostly related to how he earns money, and also how he deals with his customers. He says, If you cheat people, and they curse you, then your life will be hell! Similarly, he says If you go ou t of your way to be fair and good to people, their blessings are more than all the money in the world! After all, it is my customers thanks to whom I and my family are able to live and eat. If I cheat the very ones responsible for my living, how can I face God? He told me of an instance where one of his passengers left her mobile phone in his auto. He says he did not know what to do with it, nor did he want to go to the police, because, in his opinion, they are corrupt, and would have caused further problems for him. So, he asked a young man for help, who called up one of the numbers on the phone, and helped Aditya to trace the owner. He says that when the woman came to take the phone back, she was disbelieving and quite surprised, as she kept saying that s he never expected to get the mobile phone back! He quite proudly proclaimed that he did not take the money that she offered to him, as he just did what any good man should . Finally, he mentioned that he hoped he could lead by example in front of his child ren, and said that he would hate it if one of them went what he called, in the wrong path . He says this is necessary, because in his opinion, these things cannot be taught by just saying, and that children learn what they see and hear, rather than what t hey are told.

In conclusion, it can be said that Aditya Banerjee is someone who believes that he must do what is morally and ethically right. He has been taught this by his father, and an incident of stealing for which he was punished as a child has had a lasting impact on him. He believes in being fair to his customers, and the Mobile phone incident shows that he goes out of his way to ensure that he does not try to benefit from other people s misfortunes, and tries to conduct his business of driving the a uto rickshaw in an ethical way. Lastly, he tried ensures that his activities set an example in ethics for his children , and feels that ethics can only be imbibed through practice, and not by mere teaching or preaching alone .