Pain and pleasure of public commute
Morning/afternoon/evening scene
Delhi bus stop/metro: "Abbe hatho hatho hatho....(move, move, move)" Someone comes screaming from the back, pushes you aside and hops on to the bus. No queues, no making way for the elderly or mothers with babies. Inside, you find a seat if you are lucky. If you are a woman, too many would love to lean on you along with the song and magic bus swerve. You survive a bus ride, you have learnt the first art of survival here.
Melbourne bus stop/tram/train: The bell rings, train's arrival announced, people line up and give way for those alighting. Train moves. Complete silence. Everyone is busy with their ipods and other gadgets or their eyes are in perpetual read mode.
Vehicular breakdown
Delhi: Bus comes to a halt, nobody knows what has happened. Suddenly driver is surrounded with a volley of abuses for delay. Driver tries to stop other buses to transfer passengers. There is utter commotion. Some want their money back, haggle with conductor. It's not a pleasant scene. Money once given is hard to get back.
Melbourne: "Ladies and gentleman, this tram has met with a slight problem, Please change trams to one on right, " comes an announcement inside. Passengers alight in queue, get on to the next tram and within minutes you have resumed your journey as if nothing happened.
Luckily, I am in a pleasure zone this time!
1 comment:
rita said...
i am sure you will start missing the noise and chaos in india !!!meanwhile have your fill of the orderly ,disciplined life there and enjoy and keep on writing, you have a way with words, you can twist ,turn ,mould, etc and make any topic very very funny and interesting.
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