Active Listening

                                                         ACTIVE LISTENING

The following is an account of the conversation I, PRAKHAR RANJAN(P), had with a gentleman, named Deepak(D) who is an Auto-rickshaw driver by profession, but that’s not where his employment duties end. The communication was a one-to-one communication.

P1: Excuse me sir, can I talk to you for a few minutes?

D1: Yes, please.

P2: May I know your good name, please?

D2: Sure, my name is Deepak.

P3: Right now, it seems you are working in Anand, where you are from?

D3: I am from Anand, itself.

P4: What work do you do for a living?

D4: I work as an Auto-Rickshaw driver.

P5: So, how do you feel about your job?

D5: As of now, I am content with it.

P6: So, it seems the job is not so enriching.

D6: Yes, there are some dry spells through the year.

P7: As in?

D7: At times, the returns that I get from riding the auto are not as good as to continue riding it profitably. Also there is some maintenance costs associated with running an auto-rickshaw and it becomes difficult to earn some profit for myself. And this kind of situation is a norm and occurs every year.

P8: Ok, so you are not a perennial Auto-Rickshaw driver. Then, how do you make a livelihood in those months?

D8: Yes, I do have a contingency plan for those times. When the going gets tough, in those times, I stop working as an Auto-Driver and instead work as a carpenter. This makes me earn a sufficient amount for my family.

P9: Oh, you switch jobs for some time.

D9: It’s a bit more, like this period runs for around 2 months when I am not riding the Auto- Rickshaw. So, you could say that it is a substantial time where I need to work at some other place.

P10: You seem to be good at multi-tasking.

        Have you got any help from the government regarding a permanent employment?

D10: No, there is no help received from the government regarding jobs. Neither any offer nor a job-card has been received by me.

P11: You must have attended school. You seem well.

D11: True, I am fortunate to have gone to school and gain education till class 8th.So, I am thankful to my parents to have sent me to school when I was young.

P12: I see that you are waiting for passengers in front of IRMA. Is this your usual place to pick up passengers?

...