The most chilled-out taxi drivers in Athens

Using cabs almost daily to get around Athens, it was just a matter of time before I came across one of the dozen or so Sikhs who work as taxi drivers in the Greek capital.

My first encounter was with Ajaib, then I met Jaswant and on the third occasion Ajaib again. I had so many questions I wanted to ask and the 33-year-old was only too happy to answer, and ask some questions of his own.

“Have you heard of us? Do you recognize us?” Ajaib asked. “I’m an Indian Sikh and I believe that we are all brothers and sisters. I see you as my daughter, a woman of my own age as my sister, an older woman as my mother and an elderly woman as my grandmother. Don’t be afraid,” he said reassuringly.

I tried to tell him that I wasn’t, but before I could speak I saw a woman in the car next to us staring and shaking her head in a disapproving manner. I briefly wondered what had happened. Had Ajaib committed some minor traffic code violation? But then I realized it was most likely simple racism.

“Doesn’t it bother you?” I asked Ajaib when he became aware of the woman’s reaction.

“No. I don’t get upset or angry. Anyway, most Greeks are good people and Greece has always had close ties with India,” he said. “The first Indian migrants came here in 1965. The problem is that a lot of people simply don’t know us, and especially those who haven’t traveled abroad. If you’re in New York, for example, there is nothing strange about a Sikh. Here, though, there are many who think we’re Taliban!”

We exchanged phone numbers and a few days later I met him in the southern Athenian neighborhood of Tavros, at a building rented by the Indian Sikh community of Athens that serves as a cultural center and place of worship. It is open 24 hours a day and also offers free food in the big kitchen on the first floor – and not just to Sikhs.

Ajaib was joined by Jaswant and a third cabbie called Balbir. Ajaib has been driving a taxi for one year, Balbir for two and Jaswant for six. Their Greek is quite good and they managed to pass the exams needed to get a professional driving license. They tell me that there are about a dozen Indian Sikh cabbies in Athens right now. Only the three I was with in Tavros wear turbans and have a beard – a symbol of their faith and devotion to God.

Sikhism is a monotheistic religion based on the teachings of 10 Sikh Gurus and founded in the 15th century in the Punjab region, which today stretches across India’s southwestern border to Pakistan. Some 2.5 percent of Indians are Sikh. They believe that all men and women are equal – “We respect women. You must write that,” Balbir urged me – and are vegetarians who value life and want to keep their bodies clean of impurities. They don’t smoke or drink. They also don’t get angry or curse, or give into negative thoughts, the three men told me.

“Haven’t you ever got angry at the behavior of another driver or a rude customer?” I asked. They all said no, explaining that they try to keep a positive attitude, do their job in peace and help whenever they can.

“I won’t leave someone in the middle of the street at night because they don’t have enough money for the fare to their house. If I feel that they ask to get out early for this reason, I switch off the meter and drive them to their door,” said Balbir.

What about when they’re judged by the way they look?

“That’s part of life,” said Jaswant. “But, believe me, even with racism on the rise in Greece, these are isolated incidents. It is only once or twice a month that someone won’t get in the cab when they see me, and that’s because they don’t know me.”

Sundays at the community center on Dimitros Street are a completely different affair. More than 200 men, women and children gather from all over Athens to attend prayers, to chat, play games and eat. Dressed in colorful clothing, they leave their shoes on the ground floor, wash their hands and feet, and, for those not wearing a turban, cover their heads in a piece of orange cloth and go upstairs. Food is prepared and served on the first floor, with the second reserved for prayer.

“You should come one Sunday. Bring your child. There’s a lovely atmosphere, and the food is always better on Sundays,” said Ajaib.