Look before you sit

The world of auto rickshaw seat covers

The woman’s eyes are threatening to turn into two big tears. Beside her is painted a heart, embedded with these two words—love You.

And in this theatre of romance sit people like us—the auto rickshaw commuters. For this is the seat cover of an auto. “I got this new seat after the first lockdown” says driver Kishore Kumar, while driving a customer from Gurugram’s MG Road Metro station to Civil Lines.

The yellow-and-green auto rickshaws of the Delhi region epitomise its distinct identity, like the yellow cabs of Kolkata, the red double-deckers of London, and the painted trucks of Pakistan.

But the seats of the autos have long gone ignored, when often they are the auto’s showiest part. Though many auto seats are themed after the matter of love, you’ll be astounded at the dizzying variations of the bleeding heart symbol. The other much-exploited icon is the ubiquitous ‘Tum Kab Aoege’ figure—that classic image of a woman sitting with her face buried in her knees, silently wondering when her lover, the driver, will come back. Taj Mahal is another common sight on these seat covers.

So, it is refreshing to find seat designs that go beyond romantic love. An auto in north Delhi’s Kashmiri Gate is evocative of Moscow’s Bolshoi Theatre. It shows a ballerina dressed in white, her left arm raised upwards, her head turned to one side. An auto seat in Mahipalpur is spotted showing a panorama of a riverside village, with trees shaped like pagodas.

Other sightings included Delhi’s Lotus Temple, actor Salman Khan holding a plate of boondi laddus, horses running in a jungle, and the famous “I’m flying” scene from the Titanic movie.

Truth be told, many autos still consist of plain seat covers, but the scenario is gradually changing. It takes anything from ₹3,000 to ₹5,000 to get the upholstery revamped. These makeovers are done in Delhi’s so-called scooter markets of Dakshinpuri, Jheel, Hastinapur, and Janakpuri. In Gurugram, some such shops are situated on New Railway Road.

This afternoon, auto driver Parmeshwar is waiting for customers outside Gurugram’s MG Road Metro station. His seat is plain blue. “Each driver makes his own choices,” he explains. “Some also fit their auto with disco lights and (music) deck, but I like being simple.” In a way, his seat too is a style statement.