clicked at Madurai. Aug ’08It principally involves having one leg…no. Perhaps one half of one toe on the footboard of a bus, and clutch any part of the bus with an intensity that would do a lizard in a earthquake ridden building, proud. Just hold on.
And gather all the strength from wherever. And of course, you are not alone. There are many others that are going shoulder to shoulder, toe-to-toe with you. Actually, that should be ‘any-body-part’ to ‘any-body-part’ with you !
And of course, there are accidents. Life and limb are lost.
And Tamil movies have eulogised this sequence as one where ‘love blossoms’ ! As the heroine exchanges love struck glances from inside the bus, and the hero stays suspended in air. The movies of course, don’t show the suspension-in-thin-air as a harbinger of what awaits the hero after the marriage. Of course !
You have had many classmates in college doing this routine. Every single day, commuting to college and back. Looking for the most crowded of the buses. To demonstrate how much they can stay suspended!
They ridicule you. For you would never do it. Telling you that you dont have enough courage. You know deep within, that they perhaps are true.
clicked in a village in TN. June ’09And you meet some of them. Many years later, long after they married. To women that didn’t travel with them in those crowded buses. They are a balded. Have children. They earn a good living. And speak of ‘those’ days with affection riddled nostalgia !
And say. ‘We were plain lucky to survive.’ And one of them casually lets go. “As a matter of fact i couldnt do much with the meagre money my dad made. Life had to be lived. Heroism was the cloak to sport’.
You wince.
He smiles. And goes on. ‘See it made chaps like you envy us !’
You smile a weak smile. And think of your the parent lottery you won when you were born. To the folks that you were born to.
And you see change all around.
And you look at the buses now. And find that some sport a fresh tilt to them. Even now. And now you know, that the tilt has many reasons. Wooing was one. Just one. ”Living'” was the big one that you didn’t think of. Back then.
Living. Sometimes, at the expense of life.
We dont value life in INDIA, the rules are not so strict that it can put a complete stop to these things..
Nice observation and post!! Your post are growing great post by post!!
Keep it UP!!
I used to envy those guys and their ‘heroic’ feats! I often tried to do the same but had to face the conductor shouting and urging me to get inside and sit down!!
Its true that a lot of times, people don’t really have much choice! Either get in and hang on or wait for hours for a relatively emptier bus
u make me really miss my college days..i climb the bus at any cost when im late!! some guts!! but thats me, who has lived in and out of buses but never tried experimenting with the trains.
and people around will help pull u up..the conductor will stop the running bus and say “kai porgee!!”
hahahaha..fun, now i dont have the cheeks, but i guess it doesnt take much time to get back swinging again!!
When i was in school, had no choice but to do this….. it was the only possible space…. jus a ‘foot area’… that too the other guy has to lift his to give space for mine!!!!…. manytime the drivers dont stop the bus to avoid more people climibing in…. so wud stand next to a curved road or a speed breaker, to hop on a running bus…. think these are tough trainings in our life and hence we indians could reach all over the world and adjust….. always thinking at the back of the brain, “back home its more tough”!!!!!!
When i was in school, had no choice but to do this….. it was the only possible space…. jus a ‘foot area’… that too the other guy has to lift his to give space for mine!!!!…. manytime the drivers dont stop the bus to avoid more people climibing in…. so wud stand next to a curved road or a speed breaker, to hop on a running bus…. think these are tough trainings in our life and hence we indians could reach all over the world and adjust….. always thinking at the back of the brain, “back home its more tough”!!!!!!
hey, u know…. recently tamilnadu govt is planning to order 1000 airconditioned buses and soon this kinda travel will become the past….. India Shining!!!!!….
I wish you to click BEST bus display board stating Standees information and actual standing.
Law is existing but do they care ?
I have travelled on the footboard of many a bus in Delhi, and i used to chide myself at doing it when the drivers would all of a sudden start converting the ride into a race.
(Many years ago I adorned the second step at the entrance on a rainy day, with fellows shown like in the photo, adorning the third step, at the entrance to the bus. Amazingly, everyone behaved. You go inside, its the same story . You move, you squeeze yourself, and you shift, using your purse like a shield. All the while, its “Oye, zara sarkoon ghyaa”……)
***“Zara sarkoon ghyaa”
creates air space
out of nothing;
This anthem
sung by those, that
gracefully leap
on to someone’s shoe,
balanced by one hand
clutching the window bar,
a face in your armpit,
an elbow at your waist,
your nose
smelling parachute oil
glistening on someone’s hair;
Blooming at the bus door
they travel,
buying tickets ,
money and change
passing hands,
And as the lumbering bus
takes a sharp turn,
they perform,
as in life,
a sine curve
while
the uniformed one,
taps his punch, and says
####”Chhutta nahi hai kya ?”…..
*** “Just shift a bit, will you ?” or “Move it! will ya ?”
#### “Dont you have any change ?”
🙂
Lovely post, Kavi! Things seem so different sometimes when we know the reason behind them…
This I have never seen. At what age does it become too dangerous to have this kind of “adventure”?!
Swatantra : thank you ! Yes. Getting by and getting along becomes more important ! sigh !
roshini : you too !! Ok. I was not the only chap filled with envy !
Rush : My respect for you goes up ! 😉
brave brigade you! Hmm. Ofcourse the conductor was giong to say that !!
Arunn : dont tell me ! man ! ofcourse i know of blokes who used to wait at the turns when the bus slows down to hop on ! But you..!!
And yes. Thats how training at an early age can impact. No wonder you are country hopping now !
🙂
And even now, the Mdu buses are much different. Very very polished with all of them sporting ‘airbus’ tags !
Hobo : hmm. Do they care ? who ? Its about the public ! The enforcers, the policy makers..everybody..!
Sujata : You too ! Phew ! Well well well..i have never had the gall to do it !
And when they race around, with those blue lines…my my, it must be one heck of a heart stopper !
Ugich Konitari : thats standard operating procedure ! Move it ! move it !!
And ofcourse, chhutta !! Those are aspects that are not visible !
Take a bow. Again. To the poetry !
Manju : Thank you! And yes, meaning alters message ! Completely agree !
Lou : I am not sure if ever age comes inbetween. But this is largely when a youthful air courses the hair. When there is no hair…well there is not much of an air either…i think !
Men, women, or contortionists? Am so lucky to have an early morning job, as I can actually board and sit (hallelujah) in buses.