I do not quite know how to put this… but I am a massive fan of autorickshaws. Yep, those three-wheeled buzzing bees of the road. Maybe it is because, growing up, every time I traveled to a new place, the autos there had their own personality. Each city showed off its own version—different colors, designs, stickers, even attitude. And that open-door (or no-door) view? Nothing beats that breeze-on-your-face, uninterrupted panorama of people, places, and chaos!
Now, here is where it gets a bit filmy.
I used to live in Pune, and I would always see Bajaj REs, FEs, and Greaves Garuda diesel autos on the road. But summers were my favorite. That is when we went to Kerala for 45 days. And there, I would get super excited to spot the KAL 175 or Lambretta autos. They were slow, had a front engine, and could barely go above 35 kmph. But I loved them!
Sadly, my dad never hired one because there were five of us—including my sisters—and we could not all fit in. But whenever it was just me and him, he would hire a Lambretta just for me. He knew how much I loved it.
Now here is the funny part—every time we came back from Kerala, my parents would find stones in my bag.
Yes. Stones.
Not just any stones—these were memory stones. Each one was collected from the very road a Lambretta had driven on, near my house in Kerala. I kept them like treasures. Just like how in Bollywood movies, the hero keeps the heroine’s handkerchief or a rose from her hair. For me, it was rickshaw stones!
I would even bring these stones to school, sharing rickshaw stories with my best friend Dinesh during lunch breaks. Ah, the good old days...
Now? Spotting a Lambretta auto is like glimpsing a piece of the past on wheels. But I still hunt for them every time I visit Kerala—and yes, I have shot a few videos of these rare beauties in recent years.
How long will they be around? Who knows. But it is heartening to see there are still a few auto-enthusiasts keeping this historic ride alive.
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