My long hours at work will explain my absence from blog world. As a project delivery had been made on Friday and as my mentor has not checked in yet,I thought I will pen down about an incident that happened last week.
Last Thursday, just a day before the project delivery, I had planned to leave by the bus that leaves my campus at 8 p.m. Almost by 7.30 p.m, work for the day was done and I was waiting up for my friend Rhea to wind up her work. As I had taken up as an assignment to read Senor's blog in recent times, I was so engrossed in that to notice that I had just 10 minutes for the bus. So I signaled Rhea to hasten up. She was on the phone discussing certain project related issues with her onsite. So I conveyed to her that I’ll be leaving and asked her to join me later. With that I left my work area and started walking towards the bus terminus. The time on my mobile indicated that I had 10 more minutes. So I took the longer route to the terminus only to find my bus, within 10 feet distance from me, leaving the terminus. I had no other option but to use the public transport service.
Resigning to my fate and cursing my luck I started walking down the street to the check post, which is at the far end of the lane where the local buses stop. On the way to the check post, which is about a 15 minutes walk from my office campus, I was thinking about my stupidity not to realize that my mobile has been set to an incorrect time all along. Also I realized that I was so engrossed in his words and thought process and that I had not totally come out of that.
Finally after the long walk I reached the check post. The place was sparsely crowded. There were people after Celebrating work, few daily wagers, one or two beggars, and few people lost in their own thoughts. I had never used the local buses from office. So was not really sure if there will come a bus to my place from this junction. Slowly more people joined in the wait for the buses. Why does that, it always have to be the other end of the junction from where I’m standing that more buses frequent. Relativity, huh?? It was a excruciatingly long wait. There was a lady standing beside me, waiting for the bus. I was so very tempted to ask her whether it is from here that I have to board a bus to my place. I dint want to end up in waiting in a wrong terminus all the while. But the egoist in me will never let me do that. So there occurred a moral conflict between the egoistic me and the tired(of walking, waiting) me. But to save much trouble, the bus soon arrived loaded with people. I never had a fleeting thought that the crowd in the junction was actually waiting for that particular bus. As the bus halted to a stop, the crowd rushed to get into the already pregnant bus. I still think, if the people had got in slowly all of us could have got into the bus without much scratches and shouting.
Once inside the bus, I had no other thing to do but to watch people around me. There was this gang of college girls who were really very loud. Being in this city for so long, I’m definitely not a stranger to noise, but at the end of a long day, in an over-crowded bus, the idea of high-decibel talks were not all that entertaining. Once all were inside (though looking at the foot-boarders, one wouldn’t say so) the bus slowly started moving along the rough and uneven road. The gang of girls had so much to share, but too little space. So their voices echoed multiple times louder than what would have been my tolerance level. But couldn’t do much, could I? This was not all. There was another gang consisting of we-are-the-hunks-in-town men, who were passing obscene comments in low voices at the girls, and not so obscene but stupid remarks at the woman folk in general in loud voices. This is exactly why I don’t like Tam guys, or for that matter- guys. Some guys, usually from the government colleges (though not all, of course) think their only purpose of existence during their teenage and prime twenties is cat-calling women (age no bar!!). Anyways, the not-so–quite gang was definitely not thinking in my lines, as they were evidently enjoying the attention of the gang of guys, which added to the further increase in the decibel level of them. Adding to my irritation co-efficient, were few men who where unable to stand on their own legs but to lean forward, backward, whatever ward on people (read women) before them.
Over all a thoroughly distressing experience! What with a gang of girls who want people to take notice of them; a gang of guys who would have qualified first hand, if there had been a competition for the people using dirtiest of words; men who wish to unload their burden on to women nearby, women who had to discuss about their domestic problems with another person who is on the other side of the aisle; the conductor who just refuses to come and give tickets to passengers; the driver who would realize that he is within inches from another vehicle in the front only when he is actually in inches with it and would apply the brakes causing the bus to make a screeching halt; the driver and conductors attitude to over load an already overloaded bus; the collective smell of crowd; the dirty seats; comments in varying levels of decency on the bus roof and the sides….what not.
Finally the bus halted in the place where I have to alight, I jumped down from the bus and started walking in brisk pace and slowed down only when I have put a considerable distance between me and the mad crowd, and walked into the sophistication to where I belong. I have decided never to be late for my company bus ever again.
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