The most interesting part all this month here, were my trips in the city buses. You gotta try it to know it ;) Wake up at 6 A.M, rush to the shower, get ready, and pick up the heavy sack containing my beloved fatso laptop and a book on design, and rush to the bus stop with an empty tummy rumbling for food. This has been my daily routine since 3 weeks. Well, before going to the bus stop, I need to catch an auto to reach there on time! That means a minus INR 15 for me everyday :( And the same for return!
I get down at the bus stop and pay a 15 to the auto driver. In some unfortunate cases where the driver does not have a 5 rupee note to return me, it's a minus INR 20 ! :( Extremely unfortunate times are those when I hand him a hundred rupee note, for which I get curses in return, as its early morning, and no driver will have got so much money so early to pay me back! With the blessings of nearby shopkeepers, I finally get the change and I can board the bus to majestic now!
Buses are not so crowded early in the morning, and I tell you, these early mornings and late nights are the only good times to travel in city buses, unless you love swinging and swaying holding onto the supporting bars midway between the rows of seats, none of which is empty for your a** to rest upon!
'Some of the worst mistakes of my life, have been my hairstyles!'-- I read this somewhere sometime ago. How appropriate a sentence for my topic here! Let me tell you why ;)
As most of you might know, our BMTC buses have a separate set of seats in the front exclusively reserved for 'ladies'. Even the front half of the buses are usually occupied only by women. The bus conductors scowl at men who try to barge into that sacred portion of the bus where they are not allowed!
It was one of those lazy days when I woke up late and reached the bus stop a little late than usual. People crowded the big platform, all of them waiting for the same bus which would go to my destination. The bus entered, and within a wink, all the people waiting there a while ago, are gone! Already in, or hanging onto the doors or windows, pushing each other to get some space for themselves. I happened to enter the bus late and couldn't get a seat. I somehow managed to get myself some space at the front half, finally! I started my usual day dreaming, (the best time pass while travelling!) standing in the crowded bus, sandwiched between people, with my fatso bag being pushed to everyone's legs in turn like a football! All was well until an old lady on her way to a village nearby, boarded the bus and settled right behind me, standing. The bus had moved quite a long way by now, the conductor had finished giving tickets. So everyone was calm and peaceful in the front half, when the old lady standing behind me called me, patting on my back, saying something. I turned my ear towards her to hear what she was trying to tell me.
'You there, this portion is for ladies! Go back and stand there in the last half!' she said in a rather irritated way. Irritated she was, taking me for a boy with my short hairs, shirt and pants! Now, that was something really embarrassing for me, with everyone whosoever understood the fact, helplessly listening or either grinning at me! God! What would I tell her now! I dint know how I could answer her! So, I just pretended not to hear and tried to ignore her, hoping she would stop. But the lady wouldn't give up! It was her right to protest against this pervert trying to sneak into a crowd of women! How I hoped the conductor would come to my rescue, explaining her the fact! He hadn't said anything when I bought the ticket from him standing there, so I thought he understood I too was a lady, having all rights to stay where I was :) Somehow, he dint appear and even the people around were not not in a mood to help me out, so I had to bear it all the way, just praying inside that others don't join her in this, which would make it even worse for me! I could have been pushed out of the bus with all of them shouting at me, with me having nothing to explain them in a logical or sensible or whatsoever way!
Luckily, after a long while though, it ended when she heard the conductor address me as 'madam' , asking me to take my bag away from the walking space on the bus floor. Now, it was her turn to get embarrassed. I was relieved, and finally at peace with everyone silent now! I relaxed myself, swearing inside that I would never wear such a boyish dress again, complementing my hairstyle, in such places, that too!
Thanks to our salwar-kameez :) I could travel peacefully from the next day :)
To be continued
