Ali G, the Charmer

He calls himself “Ali G” from the show Ali G started in England. He is not your regular auto-rickshaw driver. He is Indian born, but he speaks English quite well for his education level and working class. Combined with his natural extroverted and charming personality, he effectively gets the attention of the tourists who visit Jaipur, especially in the vicinity of the Athiti Guest House; that is where we first encountered him.

Ali is the eldest of three brothers and one sister. Like most Indian families trying to reach the middle class status, he had the duty to provide to the family. With his brother, he worked at eight years of age at a juice factory. After a decade or so, he then amassed enough money to buy a used auto-rickshaw, which is about $4000 USD equivalent for a new one. Most tuk-tuk drivers (another designation for these drivers) start by renting or buying a used one to make money. In time, he was able to buy one for his brother and together grow the family wealth. The youngest brother benefited from this setup and has graduated from college; today, he is now working at a reputable bank and contributes to supporting the family.

Ali also shared a bit of what it is like to live in his Indian family. They have a nice home outside of the city, about 45 minutes away from the center of Jaipur. All siblings and his nephews and nieces live there. This family also “adopted” an Aussie brother too. Well, apparently the Aussie brother is a paying lodger who settled in India to work as an artist and has become a fixture in this family. Ali credits this arrangement of more than four years to his English skills.

Ali had a few occasions of travel, say Bankok, and neighboring countries. He says that he misses home after three days so his stay outside of the country doesn’t last more than a few days. He is also reluctant to leave his Mother alone with his father, who has a drinking habit and aggressive tendencies.

On a personal level, Ali is not married. In fact, he says he does not want a traditional arranged marriage. He is born into a Muslim family, but he clearly states  that he is of the human religion, not Muslim or Hindu. In fact, he had a girlfriend from the U.S. and he tried to find a way to be together, but Indians do not have easy access to visas even for a visit. Sadly the relationship ended due to practical reasons and he still wonders what might have been. At the same time, he reminds us that he would have a very difficult time leaving his close-knit family.

Also, I should add, he is a good story teller… :-)