Lifeline in BMTC

For last couple of year my family, friends have been insisting that it’s a high time to buy a car. With the emergent traffic signals and dwindling patience I always end up deciding -whether I travel by BMW or BMTC, my 4 kilometre travel from home to office is always going to take 1 hour. So no point of investing in commutation luxury!

Keeping this dissatisfaction on Bangalore roads, booming real-estate and numbers of Tech-parks in Bangalore, easy car-loans making every traffic signal uneasy and a bunch of civilised people who never believe in ideas like car-pooling rather relax and wait in a XUV500 or bigger cars lined up in pathetic Graphite India Signal blocking bikers and autos to wait with him….well let me think about my mixed-bag experiences over last 4 years in BMTC.

“Aiidu rupees change illa? !! ? “

Well the most wanted currency in BMTC is a Five Rupee coin. If you don’t have it, the conductor will give you a look like you are worse than a beggar, uglier than an earthworm and do not deserve to ride in a BMTC Vajra bus.

First time you say “illa” he will take a sneak peek into your moneybag. If you were just telling lie without searching much in your bag, you will be proved as stupid right away.

In case his quick investigation into your purse went in vain, he will ask explanations why nobody carries ‘changes’ while travelling!

The crisis reaches to its peak when neither you or the conductor has change for five and you are among the three four people who will get down at the last stop. At the last stop, the conductor with hand you over 10 RS currency and will ask you to adjust it with another passenger who is also in the same queue.

“Will get down in Next stop”

This crowd of ladies likes to stand in front of the front gate, jostle among themselves to adjust some space, ignore the yelling conductor “oalagade hogi” (to go inside the bus)  to make some space. I always keep on listening “will get down at next stop”, but next stop will come after five six stoppage.

Like the nerve and tenacity of these front runner. Cheers ladies!

“Working from Bus- WFB”

Unlike the spirits who flee away once out of the bottle (read office cubicles), there are people who connect wireless dongle and work from bus- NO OFFENCE MEANT, this is my salute to them. I put a headphone and listen to “Sadda Haq aethe rakh” after 7pm, while they regularly give me inferiority complex by their dedication. By the time the Kundalahalli Gate traffic signal opens for the bus, which normally takes 20 minutes average, these gentlemen and ladies will talk over the phone asking for the status, reply to mails, connect to VPN and finish the last minute work.

Keep me inspiring folks!

“Mobile pigeons”

In my time (well I know I am sounding like a women in 60 remembering ‘my good old days’), there was no chat services over the phone. I remember typing frequent sms and telephone conversations which are pretty uncool now. In this age of micro-messaging, fingers type faster than mind & Watsapp connects people faster than “hello how are you?”. If 10 people are standing around me in a bus, at least 8 of them will not look up from the mobiles and rest of the 2 will be watching over how good the other dude is playing temple-run.

“Music: Ninnindale ninnindale kanasondu shuruvaagide”

Whenever I am not carrying my ipod, I pray inside may the driver prove himself a mighty good RJ. He is the one entertaining us apart from his driving curriculum.

Some drivers keep remarkable playlists. A series of A.R.Rehman hits (in Hindi/Tamil), SRK 90’s movie songs, recent Bollywood songs, udit Narayan songs. Well I know my North Indian friends reading this will yell at me ‘enough of optimism, truth is mostly they play Kannada’. True, that’s the regional language, so that is most welcome.   

The song I mentioned above is my favorite, though I am totally naive in Kannada song but the amazing voice of Sonu Nigam humming this song makes the morning better.

Confession - When they play numbers from pre- 80’s or 80’s, it makes it complicated for me. Then my headphones are my best friend J

“Incredible India lives in a Bangalore Metropolitan Transport Corporation“

At any second you spend in a BMTC, you will find a composed collage of India. There will be a Bengali girl sitting near the back gate, wearing Red and White bangle- that’s me! The guy next to me is talking over the phone in Tamil. The Sardar ji is waiting for the next stop to come near the gate. The two girls sitting behind me are constantly jiggling and pulling each other’s leg in Hindi, they are from UP. The conductor is yelling “Ticket Kudi” in Kannada, the lady fighting with him is wearing Jasmine on her plait is either Karnatika or telegu.The bunch of boys sitting in the last row are surely fresher, talking about the induction program and projects. They are from Bhilai, MP.

Incredible India is right here right now with you in this Bus Ride!

“The hearty Bangalorians, take a bow”

There are a huge number of co-passengers who commute every day in BMTC and everyday fight the same battle of nerve with enduring traffic issues, but still they will make sure you are not uncomfortable. They will ask you if you can hold the baby in case you are standing for long time. I have seen people who even helped a lady to feed her little daughter, as the mother was already carrying her office laptop bag and the pre-school stuffs of the kid. Good Samaritans are there who leave their hard-earned seats to pregnant women and old ladies.

One day while returning home, I was sitting beside a man in his late 20’s. A man got into the over crowded bus with his 1 years son. The son was nagging for a seat. The man next to me called the man and asked him politely if his son can share his seat. The kid then sat in between us. To keep the impatient kid little busy, he started showing him games installed in his mobiles. And next 1 hour the kid was all happy and cheering with excitement every time the demon ate the temple-runner.

We commute by BMTC; every red signal jeopardizes our precious times; every fight with conductor once in a month makes us feel disgusting.

But still, the day I will start driving to my office, I will miss these implausible experiences during my joy rides. 

Long Live BMTC!