Call it ludicrous or frivolous but there is nothing as entertaining as a traveling experience in a city bus, especially if you are one of those who rush for their bus in the ‘prime time’, what with people from school kids to employees stand beside you, like angry tigers ready to pounce on their prey. Well, one ‘fine’ morning, I was waiting for the bus to get to my college. I had my computer practical that day and I couldn’t dare go late to the class because, well I don’t like the lecturers calling me “lackadaisical” which is one of their favourite words! Time was ticking by and each moment sounded like ‘death bells’ ringing in my ears. I was praying to all the three-crore or so devathas to grant me the immediate boon of a bus to my college. And Voila! As if the devathas immediate reaction to it, I see the green bus slithering on the road from a distance. Immediately me and the rest of the wretched mortals standing in the bus stop became as alert as a soldier on the PoK border. And the bus came to a halt, but only for half a second. And I was grateful to the almighty that my lucky stars were shining, if not very brightly. I caught the bus and to my utter dismay, it was already almost full. Now I understood the pain and urgency behind the public service messages of the government bodies to control population. But, as I mentioned earlier, my lucky stars were shining, if not brightly so I managed to find myself a corner to stand. Wow! Can anybody be luckier than me?!

Unfortunately, my mercury levels were rising rather quickly because I was sandwiched between everyone and almost felt like a sardine in a tin. To top it, the driver was so much in love with the bus that he was driving it very ‘carefully’; so carefully that even a cycle-peddler would cross the bus, even if he’s walking with it. But I quickly composed myself to face the worst. Later, a huge woman with raised eyebrows (or was it shaped?) entered the bus and looked for a seat. Suddenly, as though she spotted a treasure chest, her eyes gleamed. She pushed herself inside the bus and stood near a seat where two men were having a chat nonchalantly, discussing everything, from hairpins to airplanes, from neighbours politics to national politics. She asked them to get up from their seat because they were sitting in a women-reserved seat. They seemed unperturbed by her sudden outburst. And as though the female chauvinist had sudden conquered the soul of the mammoth to triumph the male bastions, she yelled at the bus conductor for their indiscipline action. So the poor guy couldn’t help but assist her. Finally, the male bastions had to give up and her face glowed as though she conquered Mount Kilimanjaro. Meanwhile, I came in to take advantage of the situation and sat beside her, smiling to myself. Suddenly, the driver screeched the bus to a halt and I saw that a small dog had come in front of the bus. A lanky guy with a loose dog string dangling in his hands came inside the bus and started yelling at the driver for his “irresponsible behaviour and rash driving” and coaxed the traffic police to pay him the compensation. While I was almost enjoying the little entertainment going on, I was equally worried about my class, so I decided to get down and catch another bus. But, as I mentioned, my lucky stars were shining a little too much and so to my relief, the driver quickly apologized the lanky fellow and resumed his job. I felt a rush of sympathy towards the driver and for a moment, virtually stepped into his shoes. Poor fella! How much he has to face everyday, from driving a practically dilapidated bus to bearing the curses of the traffic police to the rumblings of the passengers, with occasional adrenaline eruptions from his employer. And with the increased rule breaking of the two-wheelers and the very popular enemies, the ‘three-wheelers ’i.e. the auto-rickshaws has increased the arduousness of the job. And the conductor? His job’s no less than a Herculean task of giving tickets to everyon, moving around in the packed buses, almost drenching themselves in their sweat. Pondering over their poignant and humdrum jobs, I asked the driver, who seemed to be upset by the commotion of the dog owner, “How do you manage all these everyday? I would have burst out at him.” He smiled at me and said, “It’s always the same, ma. We are used to it.” I said angrily, “But it was no fault of yours. It was his dog and he couldn’t control it properly.” He smiled and shrugged, as if to say, ‘Life’s like that.’ I couldn’t but appreciate the driver’s incessant sense of positive attitude and the fire of motivation which kept burning in his heart, despite numerous troubles faced by him everyday. And I felt as if a spark of it flew and ignited in my heart too.