Thunderous applause marked Rahul Gandhi's arrival at the Varanasi railway station on March 1, 2014. Holding an open discussion with rickshaw pullers and auto rickshaw drivers from all over the city, he made his agenda clear -- he was here to listen to them.

It was a historic moment. Those who ferried the visitors to different parts of the city were today the guests. A national leader, who they had seen only on television and posters, wanted to listen and talk to them. The excitement was palpable and the sentiments were strong. 'It has never happened before. Nobody has ever come to ask us how we are doing, what problems we face and what we want. We are not only poor, we don't even have our own place to live. For the first time, somebody has heard our story,' said Shravan Kumar, a 32-year old rickshaw puller from Gokalpur Village..