Bus Ride

Driving in peak traffic in Chennai requires skills - Skills of turning into an absolute deaf, blind and dumb person all at the same time.

Let me explain. Say, you have to reach the Railway station at 8 and you have been driving since 6 and are no where close to the station at 715 , well its time to use your skills. You must drive as though you are absolutely blind, honk the car as though you have never had an ear lobe and to the abuses you are bound to hear - A big smile back confirming you lack the power of human speech.

Hearing about Chennai traffic from the recent ' a la US returns' is extremely amusing. The typical cliched ' oh ! stupid me ! i havta remember that I gotta drive on the wrong side of the road' or ' ah! crap! i keep forgetting the driver's seat's on the other side' or ' when would the INDIANS ever learn to drive' but the one I fancy the most is ' yay ! no seat belts' like they've been wearing seat belts all their life. I am also proud to say that I have said all of the above typical U.S return bromides and many more.. :D

I had to collect my brother's wedding invitations at "Parrys" . When I was 6 and had come to Chennai for the very first time, my brother said we were going to "Paris" by train. I confirmed Paris as in 'London-Paris Paris' and he said of course, didn't you know the superfast 60 kmph electric train ride can take anyone to Paris. I did go and never found french speaking people or Eiffel tower. Bummer ? Not really !

12 years later, my best friends Jo and Vij decided to take me to 'Pondy' and I told the whole world I was going to Pondicherry. You should have seen the extremely intelligent look on my face when we reached " Pondy Bazaar " to do street shopping. Ouch ! but fun ! Jo however kept her promise and did take me to the 'real' Pondy a few years later ( for Addu' wedding if I am not wrong )

So anyway, I was strictly prohibited from driving to Parry's all by myself by family and friends. So, I took the superfast 60 kmph train to Parrys. The place in every aspect fits the word 'filthy' but if its wedding season or holiday season - this is the place. There is an entire street with only wedding cards , the first store say sells a card for 20 bucks a piece, the next store would have the same exact piece selling at 15 bucks a piece, the difference I could hardly tell. If you go further down, you get the same piece for 3 bucks, except now the quality is noticeably bad but is an exact replica of the original. So, my advice for goers to this place - bear the stench and get what you want for price you want.

On my return home, I decided to take a bus instead of the metro. I was annoyed by the overly crowded , extremely loud chattering vendors and constant smirks et clapperclawing of the bus conductor towards the public. I almost, decided to stomp out in rage but voted out. I got into thinking, hailing from a middle class family I have been taking the bus all my life until I turned out to be a proud owner of Lakshmi ( My first car, I will save the story of the car naming ceremony to a later date ). I have never once had to travel by bus since the car.

Once, I had the car, the bus - the same bus that took me places and for being the means of some great memories has became annoying and that something I would never would want to take till my last breath. I started to feel bad for the bus, and took it to the next level of thought.

But isn't moving from bus to car simply meant I have grown economically ? Every time I complain the prices of fuel going up or my car broke down doesn't it just mean that I am blessed enough to have my own transportation. Haven't I worked hard to have some of these pleasures in life that discarding to ride the bus shouldn't be a big deal anymore.


How much ever I try convincing myself that its not wrong to feel this way about not wanting to take the bus I a big question came to my head - Does this attitude mean I am the kind who would get rid of things as I progress in life ?

Well, all I can do is just pray and hope not.