Chhakda
A Film by Balaji Mohan, Ipsit Patel, Rika Chaudhry, Sagarika Suri
Synopsis
Chhakda (chha‘-kk-dah) n. 1 A three wheeled automobile for six passengers.2 A legal mode of public transport connecting urban areas to the rural hinterland. 3 An illegal means of transport, providing cheap and efficient service, within the city limits. Ahmedabad, Gujarat
The chhakda is a source of livelihood for the owner, the driver, the mechanic... the police. The owner, a small time business man, rents the chhakdas he owns. The mechanic is constantly repairing these makeshift vehicles. The chhakda driver, aged between fifteen to thirty years, with a recently acquired street-smart attire and attitude.
This young man, a high school dropout, drives the chhakda because of
economic needs, and for the independence that it allows him. The chhakda is his sole source of income. The police extort money from the chhakda driver, taking advantage of the dubious situation. The law states that the chhakda is illegal in the city. The lawmaker cannot relate to the problems in the public transport system. He does not realize that the chhakda provides an indispensable service to the urban commuter, in the absence of anything more efficient. The solution does not lie in completely banning the chhakda, but instead in systematically harnessing their potential for the benefit of the common man.
24:47 min
December 2004