From outside it looked like any other normal cab with an electronic meter but the moment I stepped inside its dilapidated state became apparent. The vehicle was practically falling apart at the seams. I should have turned on my heels but I was getting late for office. So I decided to stay and then lived to regret that decision.

Mumbai roads will give the lunar surface a run for its money on any day. And the cab was making me aware of it every step of the way. I know what NASA's Curiosity Mars Rover must be going through and it has my full sympathies. If I didn't know how many nuts and bolts go into constructing a taxi earlier, I have a pretty good idea about it now as every one of them rattled to make its presence felt. As if this wasn't enough, I was becoming aware of a very strong smell of some kind of inflammable material. I was sure that I was inhaling some sort of noxious fumes with every breath and not doing my lungs any favor.

All-in-all, it was an edge-of-the-seat ride as I expected the floor of the cab to catch fire at any second (that has happened with me in the past!) or the doors on the rear side to fall away.

Mercifully, when I finally got out, both the cab and I were still in one piece!