Gyrating in Jaipur
Ramvilas, fortyish Sushila Transport’s long-haul truck driver, was in seventh heaven — sort of. Neither his family gathering in Bhiwani, Haryana, nor his peer group (read truck-driving tribe) invited or encouraged him to jive — shake legs and freak out thus far. With dholak beats in full flow, he could not control himself! He did not wait for others to lead. Instead he took the initiative.
On a hot May 2024 evening, he could not resist the temptation to express his joy. Why he did what he did? Ramvilas offers no explanation. Lekin, “Bahut majaa aaya,” he blurts out during the telephonic chat with him post-event.
By the way, where did the Sushila driver perform? In Jaipur. What was the occasion?
He was one of the dozen-plus long-haul truck drivers corralled by Mahindra Logistics as part of the Drivers Celebration in Jaipur.
Kya kiya aap ne? How did you get selected for this Driver get-together?
Achanak, ek din, my supervisors recently told me to get ready to go to Jaipur. Chinta mat karo. Sab bandobust ho chuka hai. Jaane aane ka karch sab hum utalenge reveals an excited Ramvilas.
Sushil Transport driver counsellor Mohamed Islam Khan adds that he was picked for his good performance in handling Mahindra vehicle transportation across the country from manufacturing sites to dealer points over the years.
Dancing is a form of expressing one’s joy. Ramvilas expressed his joy unhesitatingly, unmindful of what others may think or feel about his impromptu performance. Bravo!
Recognition of drivers is rare in the Indian context. Not that such events don’t take place. The modus operandi is mostly to gift some goodies and give away certificates written in English, which they cannot read. Of course, the recipients know the purpose.
Offering truck drivers a platform to freak out by their white-collar supervisors and end-users (3PLs & OEMs) is a good avenue to build bonding with them. By the way, many are good dancers. Their choice of songs to which they perform Prabhudeva-type gyrations, particularly to naughty Bhojpuri songs, is worth watching.
Drivers’ cup of joy multiplies when the white collars join the merry-making. Over the years, I enjoyed “physically dragging” CEOs and other higher-ups onto the dancing floor to shake their hands and legs alongside truck drivers. Of course, there is a lot of hesitation. Log kya sochenge? But those videos and photos go viral in the driver WA groups. Such mixing is truly a “WoW moment” for them. Such dance bondings are temporary (a few minutes at the maximum), it leaves a lasting positive impression on the drivers. The “class difference” evaporates for a while. Still, drivers’ cup of joy overflows. Right, Selvan Dasaraj?
Drivers are fully aware that such get together does not fetch them any long term dividend. There may be exceptions. But as a thumb rule, the logistic executives are scared of such “closeness” should not lead to “extra softness” towards the weakest supplychain link.
