Horn not okay please

During a visit to Tehran, I was pleasantly surprised to see how closely it resembled several parts of South Mumbai especially Breach Candy. The folks there were warm, cordial and loved most things about India. Except they never understood why vehicles kept honking on the road. The traffic in Tehran was as dense as in Mumbai, but no one honked. I could only nod in agreement - why there is so much honking on Indian roads is a mystery no one has been able to solve.

As I hopped into a taxi in Mumbai. I offered an incentive proposal to the driver - I would pay double the metered fare if he did not honk once in that hour long ride. To put more skin in the game, I would get a free ride if he honked. The amused taxi driver went ahead with the deal - perhaps the wad of cash I waved at him may have made his decision easier. The driver did very well for most parts of the ride, there were junctures where his hand shivered in front of the horn, almost like a smoker desperate for a cigarette. And then, as we nearly arrived, he honked. Very unfortunate. For him. I got out of the car, thanked him for the free ride and walked off. A deal was a deal.

As I received an earful from the wife for robbing a poor man of his money, I wondered why my novel scheme did not work - what could I have done different? Habits are difficult to break, she muttered, her sympathies still clearly with the driver. This was a fair point and likely where the issue lies. As much as we have the right intentions with such incentive schemes, we often doubt them because we don't see immediate results. We disband them without giving it some time to run. And therein lies the answers I am looking for.

And so instead of walking away, I should have found a way to keep the taxi driver invested in the scheme so that he gets more time to work on it. I could expect that he would not be interested, having got stung from the loss today. This would be my revamped proposal to him - if you pick me up again tomorrow and try this again, I will take care of half of today's metered fare, so that your expenses are covered. You almost made it today - do you want to give it another shot?