Took Me For A Ride

The day did not start the way I would have wanted it to start. I just knew that it was not going in a very smooth manner. Later, when I stood at the bus stop with the sun burning right into my head I again had a doubt if I was really game for the 'Flower Show' visit or if I should just forget it all and take a drive back home.

The bus finally came and gave a pause for my dilemma as I got pushed in with a mob of frenzy students who also urged me to get in instead of being too polite and letting everyone inside. It was not the bright blue BMTC bus I was looking for but a dirty brown bus with sloppy seats. I was ushered in through the front entrance that faced the driver, along with the rest of the crowd.

Crowds never look like a piece of cake to me. I don't like the thought and feel of standing amidst strangers and sometimes even known people. I like my space. Its like what my Aikido Sensei taught me- maintain space.

I walked down the entire length of the long vehicle before I found myself a comfortable seat with a comfortable companion!! The seat behind me was removed probably to give more room for people to stand. I don't like it if strangers sit right in front of me looking into my face nor if they stand behind me when am sitting. Where did I get all these thoughts from am wondering!!!

It was a noisy ride with two television sets blaring the movie 'Varanam Ayiram' which stars my favorite hero 'Surya'. I paid attention to it since it played one of my favorite songs 'Mundhinam Parthene'. After a while both my eyes and my mind started roving in and out of the bus. My heart was ticking instead of my watch because it had no doubt now looking at the pace we were travelling that I was going to be late to return home.

I was not interested in the people around me until a person in a bright blue shirt caught my attention since he was the only one in the bus, I could see, covering his nose with his handkerchief to protect himself from the fast spreading swine flu. I wondered if all the passengers should be doing the same. A light fear gripped me when I looked upon myself as a carrier of the virus to then later on give it to my family.

As time went by the ride slowly became monotonous to me since I had nothing in particular to concentrate upon. I was just waiting to get down from the bus so that I can finish what I started. Time was slowly swallowing me taking away with it all the fun that should have been there during the travel.

When we reached LalBagh, I felt a bit relieved but when i got down from the bus it also crossed my mind if I should immediately take another bus back home. At the flower show, I thought I was hardly looking at the flowers but then it was difficult to not enjoy the beauty of those pink rose petals that seemed to be slightly blushing at the corners giving it a stunning look until i got distracted with the alarm that rang every 5minutes.

I held on to that stress for another half an hour before I finally gave up and walked back to the bus stop.I had one 50rupee note with me, which was borrowed. (I wish this line is invisible to Rajavel who advises me to carry my wallet anytime i go out.) I was told I had to take bus No. 249. I waited at the bus stop where there was a group of school students sitting on the metal railings with more confidence than mine. I would have felt the same way if I had just one person to travel with me. Why is it that I get so tensed to go by bus in spite of being so relaxed when I take my seat behind the wheels?

Five or six buses passed by but no 249 in sight. I wondered if I am going to be stranded there long enough to make me feel lost. I saw three men giving me one of their heroic looks with cigars in their mouth with great hopes that each of them looked like heroes. Uhhhhh! Specimens I thought. I need to reveal here that men don't fall under my category of favorites either, especially the ones that go across the roads and those that I personally don't know.

I walked a little ahead and positioned myself close to a female group that I spotted. Soon there came again a dirty brown bus similar to the one I took first. The man in the bus was shouting names of the stops aloud. I asked him if the bus will take me to Carmelaram and he gave a positive nod. It was a moment of happiness. I felt relieved and quickly got into the bus bading goodbye to the garden expedition.

Once inside the bus there was another strange feeling. It was filled with people anywhere and everywhere. It looked like a congested chess board with coins on all the 64 squares. I felt as if I was standing on a stage ready to give a speech when a lady two feet away from me signaled to me by nodding her head that she was happy to share her seat with me. It was a 3-seater with an uninterested man sitting near the window, the center place free and the friendly lady at the corner. She moved her legs sidewise and let me take the seat. Normally I wouldn't have opted to sit there, knowing me as me. But now I just needed a place to take the tension off my legs which seemed like they would give away. I sat down and then wondered why I sometimes make things messy. If I can't manage my time why did I start this whole thing in the first place?

I decided to chide myself later and turned around to look for the conductor. I saw a man in brown shirt which had boomerang patterns all over. I have seen that before. Oh! My God!!! I looked in front of me and saw the two blaring televisions again. This was the same bus which I boarded earlier. So it will surely take another hour to go home. This time they played another boring movie 'Villu'. Everybody had their eyes glued on to the idiot box which made me wonder how many of them understood the language. They were playing Tamil movies in Karnataka. Nationalists I thought - at least to an extent.

Disturbing the ripple of thoughts the boomerang man came to issue tickets. I gave him my only 50rupee note and asked for a ticket. He recognized me immediately and gave a flashy smile. To confirm his doubts he asked me if I finished my sightseeing at LalBagh and further got curious as to why I was alone this time. I gave him a short reply and got my ticket.

I noticed that he didn't give me the change exactly. I had 10rupees less. I knew I should ask him but I just didn't feel like starting another conversation with him. It's a prejudice I guess against people who talk too much when I am in the mood to talk less or nothing at all. So I decided to forget about the ten rupees.

People were moving a lot. The friendly lady got down soon. So I slowly moved to the edge of the seat with a faint thought if that will make my co-passenger consider me rude. All is fair in the war of bus rides I decided.

A young mother requested me to give way for her son so that he can now sit in the centre position. He sat down quietly munching on his guava and making crispy noises as he took each bite. Though we seemed completely occupied a lady decided to squeeze herself in and lifted the boy next to me onto her lap. I warned her that the boy was not mine. After seating herself comfortably she slowly tried to tell off the boy by sweetly advising him to go to his mother. The boy seemed as lost as me as he kept looking behind for his mother. Seeing the similarity I jumped in to rescue and told that the boy's mother is lurking somewhere behind. The young mother then came at her own pace to pick up her son when it was time for them to get down. When was the last time or even the first time I let my son sit on a stranger's lap like that, I don't know!!! Fellow human beings, yeah!

Still people were getting on and off. As I looked over my shoulders I saw a man wearing lungi right up revealing his hairy thighs. May be it felt comfortable (for him) but definitely not impressive. I am not saying that he should have made efforts to impress me but what I am trying to say is, it did put me off.

Then came a Jeans cool dude. He stood next to me since he had no seat for himself. He was doing fine until a young girl got in too. They didn't look as if they knew each other. She came and stood right in front of him though there was a lot of place for more people to stand. He was almost hanging on her and she was definitely trying hard to obtusely lean on him though the momentum of the bus should make her lean forward. Do I not understand something here? It surely makes me feel incomplete but in a very acceptable way.

Everything seemed pretty normal (and boring or what) when the young girl disappeared. The cool dude was still around. I am saying that to bring it to your notice. After seeing enough drama inside the bus I checked out of the windows and realized how fast time flew.

Though I was busy watching all the actors inside the bus my mind was at speed accelerating to reach home faster than the bus. I started becoming restless when I saw familiar buildings outside. I was like why not faster? In my mind I was already there at my stop,so why not physically? I wished I could be as fast as my mind and travel equally as quick as my thoughts.

I saw my lemon yellow Wagon R awaiting me at a distance and I felt something for it which I have never felt before. I had so much love surging for it. As i got down from the bus the evening breeze encircled my heels and slowly travelled up to my tensed temples relieving it and energized me all over. I felt completely in control and like a queen with reins as I geared up to reach home in 5minutes as I timed myself.

Timing was no more stress because I knew I was in charge.

Note: I later on learnt that Bus No.249 will not take me to Carmelaram but to Bannerghatta Road. Everything happens for a reason uh!!! :)