Thyrocare Technologies founder and CEO Dr Arokiaswamy Velumani, who often takes public transport for intracity travel, took to social media to share his recent experience of an auto rickshaw ride that revealed the underlying class divide that one often overlooks in the day-to-day lives.
After landing at T2 Terminal of Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj International Airport, Velumani, who was headed to attend an event, hailed an auto rickshaw to a star hotel in Bandra Kurla Complex. What followed was a heartwarming conversation with the auto driver en route to the hotel.
Through the conversation, Velumani learnt that the driver's son was a third-year student at IIT Hyderabad. The driver told the Thyrocare CEO that he drives for around 12-14 hours a day to earn enough to afford his son's school fees.
Soon, they arrived at the gates of the star hotel. However, the security guard at the hotel barred the auto rickshaw from going in. "Rules of hotel," he rudely told the driver. "Made me to get down and walk in. What a strange rule?" Vemani concludes in his open-ended post.
X users lined up to call out the class divide in response to Velumani's post. "Forget 5 star hotels. Autorickshaws are not allowed beyond Bandra towards South Mumbai too," one user shared.
"Hard work builds futures, but class barriers still stand tall. Why should a hotel decide who belongs?" another user shared.
Another user replied: "Sir, you should name & shame the hotel. It seems like untouchability! Next, they may not allow low-end cars in as they ruin the ambience!!"