“What’s the highlight of your life?”

“ An ordinary person like me loves to survive by being grateful. Paisa sab kuch nahi hota. Pyaar aur Izzat bhi mangta hain.”

A few minutes into our conversation and I am all smiles! Optimism is what I’ve been soaking up all this while. The endless source being this gentleman:

Please Introduce yourself

My name is Sachin Jadhav and I live with my wife and two kids — an elder daughter and a son. I have been working with DriveU for 3 years in Mumbai.

Tell me more about your education background and early life.

I grew up in Chembur with my mother and three siblings. After losing my father at a young age, I started selling newspapers door to door. My mother didn’t want to feel helpless so she started selling vegetables. We managed to study till 10th std with that meagre income. Few years later, I got into driving and bought an Innova. Since then I have been driving almost every day.

“More than bitter, I’ve had better days with my customers.”

How did you find out about DriveU?

Back in 2015, when cab companies like Ola and Uber came into the market , I had leased a few cars in Justdial. My business dipped and I could barely afford one meal a day. Choked with debts, I was on the verge of committing suicide. My wife took hold of the situation and pushed me further. It must have been the bus stop — I saw a guy wearing a DriveU Tshirt. He helped me to connect with our Mumbai team.

When not driving, what do you like to do?

Playing carrom — I used to be very good at it. Now duty comes first as I work for 6 days a week. I am hardly free madam. My kids drag me to Chowpatty every Sunday. Life revolves around them.

Sachin drives for 12 hours daily. If his wife insists, he drops the idea of duty on a Sunday. He (secretly) loves that though.

What all have you been learning at your job?

Bonding with my customers. I savour the moments — chatting with them, asking about their preferred routes. You see, all this time never comes back. Kich kich kyun karna faltu ka? (What’s the point of sulking?)

He bursts into laughter.

What do you like about DriveU?

If I imagine myself employed as a private driver, I’d be stuck with 15k-18k per month. My daughter is in 8th grade and son is in 4th. You know how much education fee is these days? I have been making 40k a month. At times even more than 50k. How else will I clear my debts then? I don’t wish to only drop my bosses off and be idle for the rest of the day.

Bitter encounters so far?

I do not see faults in people. Everyone has tension. Yes, at times a few ratings have sunk my heart but it doesn’t always go like that. I know I am doing my duty really well. More than bitter, I’ve had better days with my customers. They have invited me to good restaurants at Bandra, Worli etc. That too with their families for lunch! Respect satisfies me the most.

The best car you have driven till now would be….?

Audi

And your “dream car” ?

Toyota Innova. It used to be my first car.

What are your future plans?

My son dreams of joining the Indian Army and my daughter is eager to wear the lawyer robe someday. No achievement would be as big as their prosperity. Their future should not be like my past. Ye log ka sapna mera future hain bas.( Their dream is my future).

Battling away his past life, Sachin unknowingly came across something. Something that he had been looking for all these years. Stability does wonders! It’s this balance which has been supporting his family’s dreams for a better lifestyle.

There are many who go past you each day and then there’s Sachin with his unfeigned humility. Clearly, his grit and customer-centric attitude is helping him earn respect, love and of course, money at DriveU.

My Second Innings.. was originally published in DriveU Blog on Medium, where people are continuing the conversation by highlighting and responding to this story.