I was involved in a high speed chase!!! Well, an "as fast as a autorikshaw will go" chase.

Monday I got in an auto that already had 3 passengers (plus the driver). So I sat up front with the driver ("4 in all" my eye). We went a mile or 2 and one person got out. I moved into the back. Went another mile, on person got our 2 people got in. (every time someone gets on off they give the driver 5 or 6 rupees (about 10 cents). So finally we have 6 people in total, 3 in the back, 2 up front with the driver.

We are chugging up a hill and the auto is straining a bit. Another auto passes us on the left and then swerves right into our left side. Autos kind of bounce off each other all the time so that is not normally a big deal but my driver freaked out. He is screaming and cussing and cursing (I think he was cursing, it was in Telugu, so I am not sure), and then starts chasing the 'bad guy'.

We are keeping up but not making any ground over the next couple hundred yards and the driver slows down (a little) and kicks the 2 people in the front seat with him out in the street. I guess they were weighing us down, or in the driver's way or something. We were off again, going to catch the bad guy.

Finally catch up to the other auto at Jubilee Checkpost (my stop). The driver pulls up in front of the bad guy, pinning him against the curb, starts screaming again. He jumps out and starts bumping chests with the other driver and spilling all sorts of passionate discourse.

I bail out of the auto on the wrong side (because the left side is against the other auto), and am faced with an ethical dilemma- pay or not? The driver does not care about my 6 rupees at all, he is worked up about the other driver.

I decide to wait it out, watch the rest of scuffle which resulted in no money changing hands, just 2 angry auto drivers.

I give the driver a 10 rupee note, he has 'no change', (which is a lie, because I say him collect at least 20 rupees in coin on the trip). No big deal, I figure that the 8 cent tip was worth the entertainment.

Grabbed another auto and headed to the office.

Good morning.