1. Alihasan Sheikh, professional paraglider
Age: 34.
How long have I been working with Uber: One year.
What draws me to the alternate profession: "I have always been a very adventurous man and love the idea of being outdoors and doing something fun like that. I am also heavily into extreme sports and I love pushing myself to the limit every time."
What draws me to Uber: "Passion for driving and the extra income to be able to sustain my hobbies."
2. Nilesh Gupta, chaat shop owner
Age: 26.
How long have I been working with Uber: Two years.
What draws me to the alternate profession: "I used to run the family chaat business along with my brothers. I used to enjoy driving and that's why I made it my profession. They used to advertise a lot and I decided to join. I go sometimes to help them out whenever I can."
What draws me to Uber: "I knew I wanted something to do with driving. I didn't enjoy the catering field and really wanted to drive. Earlier I used to be involved in a transportation business for almost three years. But the competition had grown and business reduced. I really do love my job and that's why I am still here."
3. Nitish Pillai, stock market trader
Age: 33.
How long have I been working with Uber: Eight months.
What draws me to the alternate profession: "I have been trading stocks part-time for quite some time. The advantage is that you can get into it whenever you want to. I am doing this at the same time as completing my final year of B.Sc. and financial planner certification."
What draws me to Uber: "I joined Uber because I realised my career was going nowhere and I needed the extra income. It was a good choice to make at the time."
4. Abhishek Yadav, credit analyst
Age: 34.
How long have I been working with Uber: One year.
Alternate profession: Credit analyst with a leading non-banking financial corporation.
What draws me to the alternate profession: "I liked the work profile of a credit analyst and the remuneration."
What draws me to Uber: "Passion for driving, extra income and the experience of meeting new people everyday."
5. Danish Kasim, bike rental store owner
Age: 29.
How long have I been working with Uber: One year.
What draws me to the alternate profession: "I have always wanted to be a part of the transport business because of my love for cars and vehicles, in general. I end up earning profits well as I know both, cars and bikes, well."
What draws me to Uber: "My love for cars and bikes draws me to Uber as well. Besides, I used to have a car service centre and when that didn't work out, I moved to this."
6. Harjeetsingh Chokra, network engineer
Age: 44.
For how long have you been working with Uber: Eight months.
What draws me to the alternate profession: "I used to have my own business in network engineering. After I suffered a huge loss, I started working in a company that eventually laid people off. So I started doing consulting on the side along with riding with Uber."
What draws me to Uber: "The good ratings and interactions have made me happy and it's helping me as well."