Local transport makes up for a great amount of time in a mumbaikar's life when it comes to traveling from and to work. I am one such mumbaikar who spends 5 hours a day in a local bus. A blogger like me just couldn't resist the temptation to write about my experience in this mode of transport since just like our regular interaction gets us acquainted with weird people, this journey also lets us observe variety of human behaviors. I present to you... top 5 kind of people you will see in any mode of public transport:
- Conductor: Generally a calm personality, this species tend to show various mood swings during the overall journey. "Chutta nikalke rakho" (kindly give change) seems to be the copyrighted statement of theirs but somehow the change automatically seems to emerge out of the pocket if we stick to the "chutta nahi hai" (sorry no change) line. However irritating they might seem on the outside, I have come to be grateful to these public workers specially for the fact that they are practically on their feet 80 percent of their working hours. I thank them from the bottom of my heart.
- Ladies first: Public services have been really nice to us ladies in terms of seating. With 4-6 seats reserved for ladies, we get a lot of envious looks from the opposite gender. Working women who strive to balance personal and professional lives, tend to find their alone time in this very gracious travel, whether its knitting, reading, gossiping or just taking a quick nap this woman can do it all. Hats off to this species.
- Business men type: This species are the most entertaining and educational for me in my journey. Most of these types belong to the gujarati and marwadi clan. Their identities generally include sophisticated mobile phones with either bluetooths or hands-free attached to the ear, loud voices, and lot of business talk "entertaining" everyone in range of their conversation. From how to handle vendors to the optimum resource to how to increase revenue, no detail is confidential for this kind. In fact the louder they talk, the better businessman you are supposed to be. The irony of this kind is that they are the same people adding to the growth as well as the corruption of the country. What contrast!
- Lovebirds: This kind is generally found in buses occupying the last seats to ensure least stares. What they tend to forget is that the cat does not become invisible just coz it shuts its eyes. This kind can be identified easily by their held hands, giggles, whispers and coy smiles. A/c buses help the new generation couples to snuggle up and get cozy, clear misunderstandings, make up their fights and spend a little alone time without the moral police bothering them. If not anyone else, the extra money paid as the ticket cost seems worth it to this kind.
- The men: Last but not the least lets not forget the male population that travels without getting any special privileges, incentives, or reasons to take this mode of transport. They make up for 70% of the crowd that travels in the bus standing for most of the time, sacrificing their hard earned seats to the women and senior citizens. Agreed that they hardly have a choice in the matter, but I have also met some gracious gentlemen who give up their place for uncomfortable lot in the crowd, offered to reduce the weight of our baggage when needed and never fighting over petty issues.
So these were the top five people who stand out on my chart for my daily journey from and to work. These species have inspired me to start my blog today. I can't assure that it will continue, I surely hope to keep this blog alive.
Adios. Take care.
