The infamous bus journey

A Story by Nishita

This one is a personal experience of traveling in a bus that I have penned down. With a pinch of comedy, I hope this candid piece of writing will help you enjoy!

Our eyes were fixed on the road. Our minds were ready to face anything that would happen. We were pre-planning our positions and suitable actions; we were waiting for the bus. The bus stand was crowded with people who had finished their hectic work and routine and were waiting to reach home. Few of us had lost hopes while the others waited with extraordinary patience.
The clock sincerely did its duty and clicked as fast as possible. The Sun almost made up its mind to go back home and let the moon take over and the bus finally arrived! All those who were cursing the bus, even before it arrived, ran towards it, similar to the heroines of Bollywood running towards their heroes. All of them took their positions to get inside.
The passengers who were getting down seemed to be the happiest ones. They gave us a peculiar look and a wicked smile which was trying to say, “Your turn, enjoy!” I must admit that I did not really have the ‘talent’ of getting into a crowded bus, although I have improved lately.
I first searched for something to hold on to. Luckily, I got one. I then searched for some space on the footboard to place at least one foot. As soon as I found three inches of space, I joyfully got on. I was impressed with my own talent. The others who unfortunately did not find even an inch of empty space, looked at the windows to hang from them, but the BMTC board had failed to understand the ‘basic’ necessities of the passengers and therefore, did not consider it important to attach grills to the windows. No one had hopes of getting another bus. Therefore, most of them, with all their might and will power, somehow managed to board the over-crowed bus. The very few people who had failed to do so, looked at the bus as though life had betrayed them. “What a pity!” I thought.
I actually liked standing on the footboard to enjoy the cool breeze of Bangalore as the bus moved forward. It usually took me an hour to cover the eight kilometer long journey from college to my sweet home. I was enjoying the cool breeze and the scenery outside when I suddenly heard the conductor’s voice-
“Get in! There is so much space inside”, he said, pointing to the over- stuffed bus. I could see absolutely no space in there. I knew there was no use arguing with him. I hesitantly moved in. When you are in a crowded bus, you do not need anything to hold on to while standing; there are always people sticking to you in all four directions. Two minutes later when I moved in, it felt as though it was Delhi inside and Bangalore outside. I just could not understand why the temperature outside and the temperature inside could not attain thermal equilibrium with each other! Enjoying the scenery outside was out of question as the top windows were covered with movie posters . I looked around. Everyone were in their own world. Listening to music and talking over the phone were two common things. I really did not find any joy in listening to music while standing in the crowd. Almost all used their headphones to talk with the speaker in their hand. Their voices were so soft that it made me wonder if they could themselves hear what they were saying.
Giving your bag to another seated person was another common habit. It was surprising how no one ever said, “This is not my bag, why are you giving it to me?”
Travelling in a bus wasn’t that bad after all (except for when you have no space to stand). Sitting by the window lets you dream about all that you want. The cool breeze brings back sweet memories. Being a person who loves day dreaming, I love sitting in a bus and travelling long distances.
Coming back to the current bus journey, I was dazzled by looking at how easily the ‘almost obese’ conductor managed to actually walk through the crowd just to collect tickets. We underestimate such laborers, but I must say that they are the ones who have to be alert all the time and keep track of the people who get on to the bus, give them tickets, collect money and tender the change.
After a long time, I luckily found a place to sit, although I would reach my stop within ten minutes. I listened to my favorite songs and let my mind wander in the city of Bangalore. Ten minutes later, it was time for me to get down. This was another huge task. I got up and pushed myself through the crowd. You can never directly get to the door; you have to conduct a survey on who all will be getting down at that stop and then quietly follow them. I stood behind the people who were getting down with me.
They say that politicians divide us and terrorists unite us. Trust me, even a bus journey can unite us. We are strangers to each other, yet, we help them. Even though we struggle to stand in the crowd, when it comes to helping a person get down the bus, we all try our best (even if that means falling on someone else so that the person getting down has enough space). We serve as handles and bars for others to hold on to while the bus transforms into a roller coaster.
The bus came to a halt. I held my bag tight and pushed my way through. People angrily looked at me as I stepped on their feet, dislocated their handbags and nearly pushed them out of the window! I finally managed to get down, or I would rather say that I got rid of the bus. While getting down, I saw many people waiting to get in. I gave them the same peculiar look and wicked smile which said, “Your turn, enjoy!”…