Same Ride, Two Sides

This was my story back home, when I was in India. I wrote it at that time.

"It takes 1 and 1/2 hours for me on an average day to reach home from office. The reduced congestion in the morning means I am mobile for half an hour less or so. The evening trip [early night trip I should say] can stretch to 2 hrs sometimes for no reason. My friend who works in Pune and returns to Bombay on every weekend often jokes that he reaches Pune earlier.....

So what's the point here? Well my trip is a mix of train and bus. [Its just comfortable that way..] I will talk about the train travelling someday later. This blog is for the vehicle which runs twice as fast when we are after it than when we are in it... Yes the Bus. Usually my Bus takes 1 hour 15 mins in the worst case to reach my house. [No doubts, I stay in the same city as my office] I board it at the first stop and alight at the 3rd last stop or so.. Arguably, the bus has to be empty on both the occasions.. But that is not the case. [You see my favourite law ... Murphy's... has to come in] But in Bombay, a couple of places can hold as much people as in some countries put together.. So even at the departure stop, you will find people twice in capacity ready to pounce. [Thats a different issue that a man trying to act smart by just randomly trying to catch the bus first, breaking the queue, is risking his life....You see Mob attack is catastrophic ]

So when I get in, I add to the standee list. [How man realizes that keeping our seat in a seat is so comfortable.. rather than standing] The temperature and humidity doesn't help at all. To add to that, the bag that you carry has to be clumsy to handle in a crowd. [No bag has yet been invented to make us feel comfortable in a crowd] The moment you feel you are cozily affixed to one safe slot in the bus, leaning with support.. the conductor will ask you to move ahead or more people will pound into the bus. [Murphy rules..] Then starts the roller coaster ride, for an hour and quarter, which when drawn an analogy could result in LIFE being documented. You get all the ingredients. The worst part is all through the journey, all but for the man beside me, get down yielding places to others who board the bus way after me.. The journey so far is very optimistic since I have not dropped any change in the crowd..To add to that people can really stamp their authority. The solacing factor is that every standee is undergoing the same..[How we feel happy and avenged when someone suffers the same ..] It seems the flow of air has been stopped and people have forgotten their deos and perfumes. The lady ahead is too trapped to respond to her helpless fiancee.. And finally my stop comes. The icing is when I have to hint continously to the driver that I have to get down here.. [Its an insult if he stops the bus smoothly for 1 person..] I realize, any slowness and he threatens to accelerate. I just jump down..And the same bus goes past me whizzing emptily. And I dont want to experience this the next day too..

So thats the crowded part of it. Now if I happen to miss a bus while returning back to home, then my compensation is being ahead in the queue to catch the next bus. Hurray..That means I get a window seat.[Yes, every Human being feels happy when he gets a window seat, just that a kid will express the joy...] It doesnt matter to me if the remaining world explodes into the bus. I am comfortably tuned into my songs oblivious to all around me. The temperature and humidity are hidden by the free flowing wind. All of a sudden, life is smooth. There is beautiful music to my ears. I am enjoying the journey. I fail to notice the standees..[I know there will be a role-reversal the next day itself..] People sitting are amazingly in a good mood. The lady seated ahead seems to enjoy the jokes of her bald fiancee. [Though she would have loved to date some more Hair with the person under it..] Nevertheless, he looked way better than me. The same ambience and moments feel so different.. Standing on your feet is seriously difficult. By the time I get down, there is total relaxation and suddenly its a better place.

As I get down the bus whizzes past me and I bid adieu to a good leveller.. Life too is not so different..."