Cycling is good, but with the sun glaring at you there's a limited distance you can go.
My past experience with buses is before I started cycling to school, and hence dates to like 15 years back. Nevertheless, as far as I remember, travelling in a public bus isnt so great! I have faced pickpockets, overcrowding, rude conductors who conveniently forget to return change, and worst of all "touchy" men. Equipped with bus experience in the US, and hopefully nurturing the street smartness over the years, I thought I could brave PMT travel now.
My 1st was a visit to my dentist, whose clinic is near my Primary school on the Karve road, which is a busy road with people returning from offices, the flow of traffic being in the direction from my school to Warje/ towards my home. Hence, going to the dentist was a piece of cake with nearly empty bus. I have alighted at that particulat bus stop hundreds of times, since it is the same bus stop to go to school. So I am positive that I made no mistake in letting the conductor know which one is the stop I wish to alight at. Yet, through some comedy of errors the bus stopped at the next stop!
Returning from the dentist was tough. People literally spill out of the crowded bus, and this time I was the one on the last step, holding on to the bus with all might for my dear life. Thankfully my ordeal lasted only till the next bus stop, since new people got in, took my place, and I was pushed in a tiny bit inside the bus.
My next braving-the-bus jaunt was to go out for Formals shopping at the so-called classy stores (read exorbitantly priced stores) on Bhandarkar Road. Since most of the buses from Kothrud go towards Deccan, I had to wait for a long time to get a bus to Bhandarkar road. I was at the bus stop during the lunch break of the Cummins factory nearby. There were some Cummins employees at the bus stop chewing tobaco, and spitting it out at the bus stop. Judging from the Cummins uniform, they appeared to be educated. But in India, being educated doesnt mean that you automatically develop any civic sense.
After I was done shopping, I waited for the bus at the designated bus stop. After waiting for half an hour, a bus passed by, and the driver completely ignored me and didnt stop at the bus stop. What? Am I invisible or what! Unlike US, just being at the stop is not enough. I recalled, that after you see the bus, you have to perform a war dance to let the Indian bus driver know that you wish to board the bus. So after a further hour-long wait, I waved like crazy at the next bus driver to get in.
That day, my papa was to meet Dr. and Mrs Amte. Thanks to the bus driver ignoring me, I missed the golden chance to meet the people whom I idolize.
With these 2 "how to get in/out from the bus" learning sessions, the rest of my bus travels to Lakshmi Road/ Tulashi baug were comparitively incident free. Or I guess, its the practice that makes one accustomed to it.
My past experience with buses is before I started cycling to school, and hence dates to like 15 years back. Nevertheless, as far as I remember, travelling in a public bus isnt so great! I have faced pickpockets, overcrowding, rude conductors who conveniently forget to return change, and worst of all "touchy" men. Equipped with bus experience in the US, and hopefully nurturing the street smartness over the years, I thought I could brave PMT travel now.
My 1st was a visit to my dentist, whose clinic is near my Primary school on the Karve road, which is a busy road with people returning from offices, the flow of traffic being in the direction from my school to Warje/ towards my home. Hence, going to the dentist was a piece of cake with nearly empty bus. I have alighted at that particulat bus stop hundreds of times, since it is the same bus stop to go to school. So I am positive that I made no mistake in letting the conductor know which one is the stop I wish to alight at. Yet, through some comedy of errors the bus stopped at the next stop!
Returning from the dentist was tough. People literally spill out of the crowded bus, and this time I was the one on the last step, holding on to the bus with all might for my dear life. Thankfully my ordeal lasted only till the next bus stop, since new people got in, took my place, and I was pushed in a tiny bit inside the bus.
My next braving-the-bus jaunt was to go out for Formals shopping at the so-called classy stores (read exorbitantly priced stores) on Bhandarkar Road. Since most of the buses from Kothrud go towards Deccan, I had to wait for a long time to get a bus to Bhandarkar road. I was at the bus stop during the lunch break of the Cummins factory nearby. There were some Cummins employees at the bus stop chewing tobaco, and spitting it out at the bus stop. Judging from the Cummins uniform, they appeared to be educated. But in India, being educated doesnt mean that you automatically develop any civic sense.
After I was done shopping, I waited for the bus at the designated bus stop. After waiting for half an hour, a bus passed by, and the driver completely ignored me and didnt stop at the bus stop. What? Am I invisible or what! Unlike US, just being at the stop is not enough. I recalled, that after you see the bus, you have to perform a war dance to let the Indian bus driver know that you wish to board the bus. So after a further hour-long wait, I waved like crazy at the next bus driver to get in.
That day, my papa was to meet Dr. and Mrs Amte. Thanks to the bus driver ignoring me, I missed the golden chance to meet the people whom I idolize.
With these 2 "how to get in/out from the bus" learning sessions, the rest of my bus travels to Lakshmi Road/ Tulashi baug were comparitively incident free. Or I guess, its the practice that makes one accustomed to it.
