‘Pay as you wish’ service: Ravindra pulls humanity with auto in Bhubaneswar

Bhubaneswar, Nov 14: Ravindra Samantasinghara, a poor driver is carrying forward humanity on his auto-rickshaw rolling out the ‘Pay as you wish’ drive in Odisha’s capital city. He is carrying passengers to anywhere in Bhubaneswar according to his mission ‘Pay as you wish or pay as you can’ despite his acute penury, without charging the deserving fare as others. Ravindra, who is now the most reliable conveyance device in Bhubaneswar Smart City was once upon a time an unemployed youth. Hailing from the Gambharidihi village in the rural suburb of Nayagarh, he was wandering here and there after getting his formal education. Meanwhile, he made up his mind to pull an auto-rickshaw in Bhubaneswar to meet his everyday needs. He trudged the whole way from Nayagarh to Bhubaneswar,  over 87 Kilometer on his bare feet and reached Bhubaneswar. At first, he managed to drive a hired auto and made both ends meet, with much difficulty. However, he frequently faced financial crises as he could not earn as per the expectation of the master.  One day, with a sum of Rs 7 in his pocket, he went out to hunt for a new opportunity but failed in his mission. With a broken heart, he was coming back to his house. Meanwhile, he appealed to some fellow auto-drivers to drop him at his home but they all denied it. Subsequently, he stopped the line autos hoping for an easy carry, up to his home. However, nobody showed a few co-operations with him. They all demanded higher fares which were beyond his capacity. Finally, he walked over a 15-kilometer distance and reached home at night. The incident stroke Ravindra’s mind and he realized the sorrows and sufferings of a poor man of the suburbs who strives a lot for a rupee. At the same time, he visualized the pain which, one faces to travel in the towns and cities for any work, with a small amount in his pocket. The feeling of nothingness gave rise to a new idea in his mind. He decided to serve people with an optimum fare and rolled out his auto, tagging a banner ‘Pay as you wish'. For the last two years, Ravindra’s auto is running on the track in Bhubaneswar, more than a public stage carrier. At the same time, Ravindra has been a media glare in the Capital City.