Cab Mein Charcha: ‘Roti-Kapda-Makaan Matter, Not Religion’

Stutte Ghosh talks to cabbies of Delhi and finds out whether religion interferes with their daily work.

(Photo: The Quint/Shruti Mathur)

Camera: Abhishek Ranjan & Sumit Badola

A while back, one Amit Shukla tweeted on why he’d cancelled a food delivery by a Zomato delivery person. This one tweet triggered a barrage of tweets, led by Zomato itself. And then, yet another social media war began. Everyone was suddenly arguing if food and one’s food habit should be linked to religion and religious practices.

Screenshot of the tweet by the person who canceled his order.(Photo: Twitter)

So, as part of The Quint’s ‘Cab Mein Charcha’ series, here’s RJ Stutee Ghosh talking to cabbies in Delhi to get a sense of what they think – does religion matter to them and does it come in the way of their profession?

Here’s a response she got from one of the cabbies — which could probably be a sound advice for some:

If you have such a problem with the religion of the person who’s delivering your food, you should stop ordering and cook your own damn food.

Anuj Chauhan, Cab Driver

The cabbies agreed that they have cancelled rides for various reasons: narrow streets, review of the rider, crowded localities, etc. But religion, they said, was never a reason for cancelling a ride.

Why will I check the name? I don’t have to start a relationship with them. I don’t have to do anything with the name.

Rohit Sharma, Cab Driver

Most cabbies were of the opinion that religion should bring us all together instead of dividing us.

All this slows down the speed of development and religion takes over. The countries which are advanced, why are they ahead of us? They don’t bother about such issues, they worry about issues of development.

Shakir, Cab Driver