This man has one of the toughest jobs in the world

This man is one of hundreds of rickshaw bicycle drivers in the market known as Chandni Chowk, a densely packed cluster of wholesale shops in the heart of Old Delhi, India. Delhi is very old city that began in 1638, being completed in 1649. It now has over 19 million people. The market was built in front of the Red Fort, a historic building that overlooks the rest of the city. Originally set up to hold over 1500 shops, it has grown exponentially and it has become one of the busiest and most crowded markets in the world. Hundreds of electrical wires hang above the street, just barely higher than head height. Monkeys climb along the tops of walls and store awnings. Vendors shout to customers and motorcycles speed through the pedestrian traffic.Show more

This gentleman arrives at the market early each morning, working six days a week. He pedals an old, single speed bicycle through streets narrow enough to fit only two rickshaws. His passengers on this day weigh almost three times as much as he does. He manages to work his way over potholes, small curbs, and around obstacles of all kinds. He is constantly yelled at to move along at a faster pace. Scooter drivers and rickshaw drivers need to hustle because every fare brings a few rupees and they need to transport as many people as possible in a day to survive. If this rickshaw driver holds them up, their earnings are affected and they will honk at him until he is out of their way. Even the customers getting into his rickshaw are likely to be impatient and in a hurry to get where they are going.

Despite the chaos and hostility all around him, this driver maintains his sense of humor. When he needed to stop and inch his bike around a ladder in the middle of the street, people behind him yelled "move it, move it". Without appearing agitated, he responded: "Well, I didn't know the Prime Minister himself was coming."

Throughout the one hour ride through the market, this driver frequently called out bits of useful information, making sure his Canadian client understood the different attractions and shops in the area. When traffic became congested, he was off the bike to haul on the seat to get the bike moving forward.

Kristy and Dave, two Canadian tourists spent ten days in India. Their friends, Himanshu and Jayantika took them to this market and treated them to a ride on these rickshaws. They simply could not believe their eyes as they toured this strange and fascinating world. They also could not believe how hard this driver worked to move them along through the traffic for a solid hour. The average daily earnings for one of these drivers is only 350-700 rupees ($5-10). If you're ever in Delhi and you want to see something incredible, take a tour on one of these rickshaws. And feel free to tip the driver well if he works as hard as this one!