Wednesday, October 10, 2007

The Aches & Pains of a 100 Metre Dash!!!

I'm surprized that India has not been able to send more PT Usha's to the Olympics. With the amount of running we do, on a daily basis, I'm sure we all have it in us. One day I decided to travel by bus. I was not in a hurry and it would be a change....I got into the bus and asked for one ticket to" X". In a matter of minutes he handed over 2 tickets...I knew i had mentioned 1 clearly...So why did he give me two??? I gave it back to him saying I had no use for 2....One has to be very careful these days when using Public transport... A month or 2 back a ticketless passenger was thrown out of a train. He fell to his death...5 TT's have been suspended....anyway this is a digression...

With this incident on my mind I had no intention of arguing with him...He growled that there was no error on his side. the mistake was mine etc etc But finally handed me the money for one ticket back. ( But then very few of the human race can accept a lapse he/she made...with joy)

I then went about getting things done and decided to complete my journey with the same mode of transport....Bus. I boarded a bus and didn't get off at the right stop... I panicked ...and finally got off on the road when the bus halted for a while in the middle of the road...When I finished my errands..I headed for the stop.
So there I was at a junction waiting for a bus...There were a couple of people gathered. Suddenly a bus with the right board came... My heart leaped for joy...It was about 1.30 or so and the sun was definitely at it's zenith...But to our dismay the bus did not stop...It rambled forth....with a middle aged man running behind it...I watched as he ran and jumped on board the moving bus without getting hurt in anyway...I did not think I could catch it...so I walked in that direction...and asked someone...The place I was standing was not the right stop. The right stop for me was about 50 mters forward...So I marched forward...
Auto wallahs eyed me as vultures wait n watch the slow death of their next meal. No I was not going to give in. I waited there....But lo and behold...all the busses were stopping at the place from where I had moved on.Waited there for 15 mts....Then asked a lady who said the next bus would be coming in another 15 mts....Not to be out done I walked the next kilometer to the next stop...My bus would take another 10 mts or maybe 20 mts ....I did not have the time nor the patience....Hopped on a bus that went nearest to my route and handed over the money... he gave me the change back....But did he give me the ticket???I saw a green ticket inside...Wasn't that the one i got in the morning???
I asked him....he too had a had a bad day of sorts,...He barked that he had already given me the ticket...I was tired and explained softly to my co -passenger my experiences in the morning....I sat there quietly...suddenly I felt a tap on my shoulder...I turned to see the conductor's metal ticket box... He then told me to get rid of all old tickets to avoid confusion and the like...in a bid to apologize for his earlier manner.

I got down at the stop and then completed the rest of my journey in an auto rickshaw!!!

2 comments:

Jo said...

Nicely written account of a busy day!

Umsy said...

thanks Jo